Legacies and Legends
by SS Dispatch
Summary: A sequel to "All Honesty" in which Draco and Harry and their friends start to settle down and grow their families. (Extremely fluffy, slow burn. Content grows more mature as the story continues)
1. Hard Questions

May 2005

Madame Rosmerta glanced up from behind the bar of the Three Broomsticks where she was topping off a few pints of ale. She smiled to herself as she spotted familiar faces strolling in. Then again, having worked in the pub for the past twenty five years, she had come to recognize almost everyone that came in. She was particularly fond of the majority of the party that was seating themself at a booth within her line of sight. One of them, however, she was still a little leary around. She had had good reason to not trust Draco Malfoy after he had used the imperius curse on her nearly a decade ago. But her trust in Harry Potter had lead her to be at least a little forgiving of the slim, pale man. If the Chosen One himself could grow to love him, surely he wasn't as bad as she had assumed? She whisked the pints in front of her to the wizards lined up along the bar before heading over to the booth of four.

"Evening gents, what can I bring ya?" She offered kindly, looking down at the men. In her mind she still thought of them and saw them as the school boys who had spent a good chunk of their school years in her establishment.

"Four butterbeers to start, Rosie," Ron replied genially.

"Coming your way then, you boys just holler if you need anything else," She offered before heading back to her station behind the bar.

As she walked away Harry felt the need to murmur, "Careful Ron, don't want to go making 'Mione jealous that you still fancy Madame Rosmerta."

"Oh, shut up. I don't fancy her anymore. I'm not a specky pubescent git anymore, alright? I just like her in a friendly way," Ron insisted irritably.

"If you say so," Neville added with an amused smile, "So aside from potentially still making her jealous over 'Rosie', how are things with you and Hermione?"

Ron rubbed a hand over his stubbly jaw and half smiled, "Well, pretty good. As good as ever anyway. That's actually part of the reason I wanted to talk with you lot tonight."

The three men all sat up straight, at attention. They leaned forward, elbows on the table, dying to know what Ron was about to say. Just as Harry was about to demand that Ron spit it out, they were forced to lean back as the butterbeers floated down onto their table.

"Ron, out with it. We know you've got something to say, so spit it out already," Harry demanded impatiently after they had all grabbed their glasses.

Ron smiled and murmured, "I'm planning on proposing to Hermione."

Instantaneously, the men cheered their congratulations, their encouragement and pride barely distinguishable as they talked over one another and clinked their glasses together.

"When are you going to pop the question?" Draco asked.

"No clue."

"Well how are you going to do it?" Neville replied

"No idea."

The men deflated significantly. Neville and Harry shook their heads.

Draco, on the other hand, appeared sympathetic, "I'm guessing you were hoping to get some help in deciding when and how to propose?"

Ron's cheeks reddened as he nodded, "How did you figure out how to ask Harry?"

"Yeah, how did you?" Harry asked, turning to his now husband with a little smile.

Draco glanced at Harry with an affectionate smile before explaining his thought process to his friends, "Well, I knew it had to be at the Forest of Dean. Harry always went there when he needed to clear his head or be at peace. So that part was easy. When was a little tricky. We don't really have many significant dates for us, aside from the day he showed up at my door. But I didn't want to propose then, since that wasn't just the start of us but the end of something that had been very important to him. I wanted to have it be a date entirely independent from our history together. So, I opted to be all deep and metaphorical and proposed on the summer solstice at sunset, to show how we would see each other through the dark and the light."

Neville laughed, "You're such a hopeless cheeseball."

"I know, I know," Draco admitted unabashedly.

"He forgot to mention that he made the ring himself out of a violet," Harry added.

"Not a lily?" Neville teased, "Sadly lacking in the sentimentality there, Draco."

"There weren't any lilies growing in the forest, okay?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's lovely no matter what it was before. You could have transfigured a silly little stone and I still would have loved it," Harry murmured as he leaned over and kissed Draco's cheek.

Neville and Ron both rolled their eyes good naturedly, pretending to be bothered by their displays of affection.

"Okay," Ron interrupted the two husbands, "So how do I go about being sentimental with Hermione. Women love that kind of stuff, but I don't know the first thing about being that romantic. I just can't think of anything that would be significant to us."

"Certainly can't do the day you two finally got together," Harry quipped, "It would be a bit depressing to get engaged on the anniversary of the war."

"Right," Ron agreed, "Leaving me clueless about the when. Any thoughts on the how?"

"Well, perhaps not how, but where. Maybe you could sneak into Hogwarts and propose in the Room of Requirement? Not only did you first kiss there, but Dumbledore's Army met there," Neville suggested. "I'm sure I could help you get in."

Ron frowned slightly, "As sweet as that is, I don't really fancy going back to Hogwarts just to propose to Hermione. I know that's where it all began, but it doesn't seem right."

"Could always propose in the library," Harry smirked before finishing off his first pint.

They all rolled their eyes at this and booed at the comment for being too predictable and rude. It was Draco's turn to think of a location, "Shrieking Shack perhaps? I remember when you two were half flirting with each other there in third year."

"You mean when you told me that it was my dream home because my family slept in one room?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

Draco flushed slightly, "Um, yeah."

Ron gave him a solid glare for a moment before smiling slowly, "I'm just giving you shit. It's not a half bad idea, better than the Room of Requirement anyway." Neville rolled his eyes at this, "But I still don't think it sounds quite right."

"What about here in Hogsmeade? It's a pretty enough place. It doesn't need to be somewhere significant to the two of you," Harry suggested.

Ron shrugged, "If I can find a place of significance though, I would rather do it there." He paused as he mulled it over momentarily whilst taking a swig of butterbeer, "Maybe that river, the one where I taught her how to skip rocks when we were on the run."

"Right before you turned yourself into a huge prat and ran off?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but still that's a happy memory," Ron pointed out, "I think I could make it sentimental enough for her."

"I mean, romance isn't exactly your forte, but you could pull it off," Neville encouraged.

Ron rolled his eyes, "No need to be a dick about it. What about you and Hannah? You've been together ages too, when are you going to get hitched?"

Neville shrugged, "When we have the time. Frankly, I'm so busy with teaching and she's been studying like crazy the past few months to get certified as a healer. Poppy has been talking about retiring and Hannah's eager to take her place. She's been bored with just working menial jobs. She's been needing to find her calling. I think healing just might be it."

"She's got a knack for remembering the herbs and potions. She'll be able to pass that test without issue, I can practically guarantee it," Draco said with resolve. He had been helping her study the work for a few months. She was geared up to take the exam to get her license in a month. Draco truly believed in Hannah's abilities. "So once things have settled down a little, you two might just settle down yourself?"

"That's the idea. Not like there's any need to rush into things, y'know? How are you two doing with married life by the way?" Neville asked as their empty glasses floated away back to the bar and a second round of butterbeers replaced them.

Harry held Draco's hand on the table and smiled fondly at him, "Not too shabby."

"Well, everything with you has been wonderful," Draco said honestly before turning from his husband to their friends, "But we've been looking into starting a family and it's been rough."

"You have?" Ron asked with a shocked expression. "Why didn't you mention it sooner?"

"Well, it hasn't gone anywhere," Harry explained, "There's not exactly a lot of wizard children up for adoption, and it seems like it would be difficult if not impossible to maintain a statute of secrecy with a muggle child. Witches are rarely surrogates, and I'm not about to ask a witch we know to do it, that would be too weird. Not to mention legally complicated."

"Blimey, what are you planning on doing then?" Ron asked curiously.

"We put our name in at the European Wizarding Adoption Agency, but they warned it could be up to a decade before we have a baby. There's plenty of names on their list and not enough children coming through. Dean and Seamus are on the list as well," Draco said.

"I'm sorry it's so difficult," Neville said apologetically, seeing the irritation on both of their faces. "Couldn't you use a muggle surrogate?"

"I mean, we always fancied at least two kids. So maybe the second one we can go with a muggle surrogate, but we'd rather be sure of the first being magical if we can. But it's looking less and less likely that that will happen," Harry said as Draco squeezed his hand.

"Well," Ron said holding up his full pint of butterbeer, "To lady luck: may she smile on our path as we try to start our families, eh?"

"I'll drink to that," Neville said eagerly as they clinked their glasses together.


	2. Good Luck

September 3rd, 2005

Neville Longbottom bid his seventh year Herbology class a farewell and a good afternoon. The class had struggled in feeding the Venomous Tentacula, so Neville took a little time after the students had left his greenhouse to feed some of the crankier plants their Chizpurfle. Neville had suspected these particular Tentacula plants would be fussy. He had affectionately named the worst two Fang and Spitfire. They were both nasty, sassy plants that only he was capable of dealing with, though he did try to get them to behave with the students. Once Fang and Spitfire had been fed, he wondered about the greenhouse to pick up the loose Chizpurfle carapaces that littered the floor. Resembling something like a spine, the rigid bones were the only part that the plants couldn't eat. The carapaces always went directly to Slughorn's supply closet, as they were a wonderful ingredient that could be used in potion making.

It was as Neville was picking up the last carapace near the door that he noticed one of the students was lingering outside of the greenhouse. The opaque quality of the windows made it somewhat difficult to see, but it was obvious she was looking in at him, waiting. Neville stood straight and put the bag of carapaces on the table by the door.

He stepped outside of the greenhouse and looked down curiously at the short seventh year, "Is everything alright, Emily?"

He knew all of his seventh years quite well. He was ridiculously proud of Emily in particular for being in his house and the captain of the Quidditch team. She was one of the best students in the house, excelling not only in Herbology but in Charms and Transfiguration as well. Though, much like Neville himself, she lacked a bit in Potions.

However, she did not look like the confident, brilliant girl she was in that moment. Instead, Emily stood before him looking utterly distraught. She had seemed off in class, but he had thought little of it. He hadn't really been able to focus on any of the students greatly given the risk of them getting bitten and poisoned by the plants. He had been far more concerned about their safety. But now he saw just how frazzled she was: her hair was duller than usual, her eyes averted away from him, and the thread of her robe sleeves were fraying, as if she had been tugging at them for too long.

"Professor, I — I don't know who else to talk to. I don't know Professor Bones or Professor Trelawney or Sinistra well enough to talk to them. I just don't know who to turn to."

"It's alright, Emily, it's alright. Slow down a bit. Tell me what's happened."

Emily looked up at him and managed to choke out, "I'm pregnant and I have no idea what to do about it."

Neville blanched partially out of surprise and partially out of fear. He was utterly clueless when it came to pregnancy. He hadn't even met a pregnant woman before. He was completely unqualified in offering any sort of advice, "Have you seen Madame Abbott yet?"

Emily shook her head, "No. I don't know her. I was nervous to tell a stranger."

"Well, lucky for you, I know her quite well."

"You do? But she's brand new. She just started a few days ago."

"Well, I've been dating her for a few years, so yes, you can trust her. Would you like me to take you to her? She will know far more about this than I would," Neville explained gently.

Emily slowly nodded. Neville breathed a sigh of relief and lead her up to the castle to the hospital wing. Lucky for them, the wing was totally empty when they walked in. Hannah appeared from her office and smiled when she noticed Neville, but her smile faltered when she saw the frazzled girl beside him.

"How can I help?" She asked straightaway, not bothering with formalities. She could tell that there was nothing outwardly wrong with the girl. Judging just by the way the student appeared to be half mentally present, she suspected a confundus charm or mild potion poisoning.

"Why don't you tell her what's going on Emily?" Neville asked.

Hannah waited, but the witch seemed unable to look up at Hannah, let alone speak. Hannah smiled and spoke softly, "Why don't you come into my office? I can get you a cup of tea if you like. Would that be alright?"

Emily slowly nodded. Hannah turned and headed to her office to start a pot of tea just as Neville turned to leave. Emily grabbed at Neville's robe sleeve, "Can you stay with me?"

"You're sure?" He asked, surprised at how much she seemed to be relying on Neville for emotional support. He supposed it made some sense. He had known her all through her school years as the head of Gryffindor house. He had been the one to encourage her to try out for the Quidditch team, and the one teacher she was able to confide in her fifth year when her mother passed away suddenly of a heart attack. It was no small wonder why she felt comfortable with Neville in this issue, even if he hadn't a clue what to do.

He followed her into the office. Hannah sat at her desk and passed a small cup of tea to the nervous girl. Emily sat down on a large cushy chair across from Hannah. Neville shut the office door, knowing that what Emily was about to say could by no means be overheard. He leaned against the door and smiled sheepishly to his girlfriend. She didn't question his presence. She could tell his being there was a comfort to the young witch.

"So, what exactly is the trouble?" Hannah asked gently, taking a sip of her own tea.

Emily glanced at Neville. He nodded. She took a deep breath and finally looked Hannah in the eyes, "I found out I was pregnant over the summer. I didn't want it to be true, so I kept pretending it wasn't. I kept hoping I might just miscarry, because I heard that happens sometimes. But I didn't. I told my boyfriend about it, but he's not talking to me now because of it. Easy for him, now that he's graduated." Neville vaguely recalled that she had been with a seventh year Ravenclaw the year previous. "I haven't even been able to tell my friends. Professor Longbottom is the first person to know. Not even my dad knows."

"The father of your child is muggle born, isn't he?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Yeah, but why does that matter?"

"Unwanted magical children are incredibly rare, what with magical means of contraception."

Emily started to cry, "I'm such an idiot. My friends never told me anything and my dad certainly never would have either. I think they all assumed I knew."

"You're not to blame. I don't mean to sound as if I'm mocking you. I was just surprised. That's my mistake for sounding accusatory," Hannah apologized profusely. Emily sniffled and wiped a tear away, but otherwise remained silent.

"Emily?" Hannah practically whispered. The girl slowly looked up at her. "What do you want to do going forward? I'm happy to discuss options with you."

Emily glanced at Neville before looking back at Hannah, "Well, I reckon I'm … about four months along. Like I said, I just kept hoping nature would take care of it. I always heard miscarriages were most common in the first trimester. But I reckon now my odds are dried up. But I can't have a baby in school. I need to pass my exams this year. I want to be working in the Ministry soon. I can't do that if I have to drop out to have a baby. I — I always wanted kids. Just not like this. Not with him, not without someone who loves me and could help me raise it. My dad would help, but he's already got enough on his plate with his job and grandma. He can't help me raise a child right now." By now Emily was barely coherent as she started sobbing, covering her face with her hands, "I can't get rid of it. I just can't. If nature did it, that's one thing. But I can't choose to do it. I know there's nothing wrong with doing that, but I could never bring myself to do it. I don't know what to do."

Hannah's facial expression did not waver as she listened. She turned and opened a drawer of her desk and pulled out a small vial of bluish liquid. She held it out to the sobbing girl and murmured, "Drink this please."

Emily glanced up and recognized the calming draught at once. She took it with a soft thank you and quickly drank the contents of the vial. She handed Hannah back the empty vial just as her shoulders visibly relaxed and her expression softened. She wiped the tears off her face and her breathing regulated itself. She was feeling more herself already. She glanced between her professor and the school nurse, "I'm sorry. I'm — I'm not usually so hysterical."

"All things considered," Hannah said, "You can't exactly be blamed for being emotional. That and your hormones are going haywire, so it's inevitable that these outbursts are going to happen. Now, as far as what to do going forward, if you don't want to terminate the pregnancy, then you have two options: keep it or give it away to another wizarding family. Like I said, unwanted magical children are extremely rare. The baby would go to a well deserving home, to a wizarding family otherwise incapable of having children. I don't believe I have a pamphlet with me, but the European Wizarding Adoption Agency can help arrange things for you. But if you would rather keep the child, we can also try and accommodate that with your schooling. Nobody wants to see you drop out so near to the end, there are measures that could be taken to ensure your graduation. Not that it would be easy to do, but it is possible."

"I don't want to have it. I don't want the whole school to know that I got knocked up. They would all make fun of me for not using a magic contraceptive. For being so stupid as to have sex the muggle way. I don't want that kind of humiliation." Her voice remained steady and calm as she spoke her mind. She seemed to be reaching a resolve on the matter. "If there are families that want to take care of my child, I want them to have it. I can't do this baby justice. They won't see this child as a burden, they'll see it as a blessing. That's — that's what I want to do. You said there's an agency that can handle all of this?"

Hannah nodded and went on to tell her more details. As she explained to Emily that there were methods to hide her pregnancy safely from her classmates, Neville started to think intently. Something in the back of his mind had been bothering him throughout this conversation. Something about this whole situation was reminding him of something, though he was struggling to remember what. It suddenly hit them when Hannah mentioned that wizarding families seeking children to adopt are either infertile or gay. It was as if a light bulb went off over his head. He wanted to burst out with the idea, but he knew he shouldn't. He waited until the conversation reached a natural conclusion, with Emily finally relieved that there was a plan to fix her predicament. Neville quickly wrote her a note excusing her from the class she had just missed, and sent her on her way.

He headed back to Hannah's office and sat down on the edge of her desk, folding his arms across his chest. Hannah looked up at him curiously, "What are you plotting?"

"Me? Plotting?"

"Yes, you. I can see you hatching an idea. It's the same look you had when I said I wanted to become a healer. You were the one that got me this job, remember?"

"I didn't realize I had an expression devoted solely to plotting."

"Neville," Hannah said sternly, urging him to get to the point.

"Harry and Draco are on that agency's waitlist," Neville finally said.

Hannah raised an eyebrow, "Yes, but they're at the bottom of the list at best. They won't have a chance at getting that baby."

"Unless she chooses them."

"And why would she do that?"

Neville smiled, "She started school at Hogwarts just months after the battle. Her whole generation knows Harry as a hero. What sane witch wouldn't want to give her child to Harry Potter? Not to mention her most beloved teacher strongly recommended his good school friend as a valid option to raise her child. Why wouldn't she want to choose them?"

"There are other good families waiting to adopt," Hannah argued.

Neville gesticulated widely, "They said they wanted a child! If one finds its way onto my doorstep I'm going to pass it along to my friends that want it. That doesn't seem unfair to me."

Hannah did not react to his frustration. She crossed her arms and sighed, "I suppose I can't stop you from encouraging that adoption to take place. I just don't see it as entirely fair to the thousand other wizarding couples all over Europe who would happily take that baby."

"Hannah," Neville said, his tone dropping into something more gentle, "When you see our best friends holding their first child, you won't think it's unfair. Besides, you'll get to be one of the baby's aunts, since it won't have any biological ones. You, Hermione, and Ginny can all coo and aw over a newborn."

He moved away from her desk and knelt in front of her. He was so much taller than her that on his knees he was eye level with her sitting. He took her hands in his and kissed them each gently, "Do you really disapprove that much?"

She sighed and watched his movement with an unreadable expression. Her lips twitched up slightly in a crooked smirk, "I suppose I don't. I do want them to be happy, Neville. I just — I wanted you to see it from the other perspective as well."

"And that's why I love you," He murmured, "You have that uncanny ability to see all possible viewpoints. Most of the time, you ground me and help me see the reality of a situation. But I think you'll find that I'm right on this one. It's for the best that Harry takes this kid."

"That's up for Emily to decide, she might not want them to be the parents to her child."

"I know, but it's worth a try, isn't it?" He asked softly.

She sighed, "Yes. It is."

He grinned and kissed her sweetly just as the bell rang. He kissed her once more before departing to try and make it to his next class.


	3. The Vow

October 31st, 2005

"Are you excited now?" Harry murmured to his husband who stood beside him in a small, windowless office in the Ministry of Magic with him.

"It still might not happen. She might not show."

"Neville is personally taking her here. Pretty sure she's gonna show."

"Anything is possible," Draco argued.

"Exactly, 'anything' includes everything going just the way we want it to."

Draco rolled his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing, trying to keep it as calm and collected as he could. He looked at the clock on the wall repeatedly. 12:55pm. They would be here within the next five minutes. His muscles were tense. The office they were in was unfamiliar to him. It wasn't Ron and Harry's shared cubicle filled with silly pictures of all of their friends and loved ones. It was the office of the Overseer of Magical Adoptions. While the agency they worked with was an international one, the ministry itself dealt with the technical work of adoption.

They were waiting on Neville and Emily to arrive. They had received word in early October, from the agency, that a mother had chosen to give her child to them. They quickly found out via Neville that the mother was one of his students. This was to be the first time they met her, but it was also the most important meeting regarding the adoption.

12:57pm. Harry kissed Draco's cheek suddenly. His otherwise pale cheeks flushed slightly, "What was that for?"

"I can feel the stress rolling off you in waves. You needed the distraction," Harry explained simply just as the door suddenly opened.

The Overseer was an older wizard, approaching his hundreds. He was entirely bald, but had extremely bushy eyebrows. To top it off, the wizard was shorter than both Draco and Harry and significantly rounder in the middle. Harry had to stifle the urge to laugh. If he had put a moustache and top hat on him he may have looked like the Monopoly banker.

"Evening Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy," The man said genially, holding out his hand to Harry first, "Lawrence Cobblesmith at your service."

Harry reluctantly shook hands with the over exuberant wizard, who gripped his hand a bit too tightly. Harry couldn't help but notice Draco wince slightly as he shook hands with the man.

"Sorry about the office being a bit cramped. This job is not even full time, so they give me the least enjoyable office. But you understand how it is, eh Potter?" Harry mumbled a noncommittal agreement. Just at 1:03pm the door opened again and Neville entered.

Harry and Draco stood straight as they saw the girl following behind him. She stepped into full view and they both were delighted. She looked a bit uneasy, but otherwise was polite, smiling at the two shyly. It had not been mentioned how far along the mother was, and the two were beginning to wonder if she was pregnant at all. She had no visible bump at all. She was as skinny as Draco and Harry.

"Well, you must be the mother!" Lawrence burst out eagerly as he introduced himself to Emily and Neville.

Before Lawrence could drag them into the proceedings immediately, Neville asked Harry and Draco, "This is the first time the three of you are meeting, right?"

They nodded silently.

"Well then," Neville cleared his throat, "Emily Felix these are my good friends Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, the future parents to your child."

Her smile widened, "It's lovely to meet you two."

"Pleasure's all ours," Draco said kindly.

"Do you mind me asking a couple of questions before we go on?" Harry asked initially to Emily with a cursory glance toward Cobblesmith.

"Oh by all means, take your time. The paperwork will be brief anyway," Lawrence assured them with a casual wave of his hand. He plopped behind his desk and started searching for the appropriate papers.

Harry turned his attention back to the mother, "Is that okay with you?"

"Of course, anything."

"How far along are you?"

"Oh!" She said in surprise as she glanced down at her thin stomach. She glanced at Neville and shrugged shyly "I think it's safe to show them, can we?"

"Oh, sure. It slipped my mind," Neville explained as he took out his wand, "Revelio."

Quite suddenly, her stomach swelled instantaneously, having been hidden by a charm.

"I've been wanting to keep it a secret. I don't want my classmates to know," She explained as she rested a hand on her baby bump, "I'm at about twenty five or twenty six weeks, so just about six months along. In three months time, you'll have your baby."

Harry grinned with delight; he was so ready to be a parent. Draco, on the other hand, looked cautious and nervous.

"Is everything going alright? Hannah's helping out, isn't she?" Draco asked.

"Madame Abbott? Oh, yes, of course. She says everything is going quite smoothly and according to plan, so there's no need to worry."

"Do you know the gender yet?" Harry asked eagerly.

Emily's cheer seemed to fade a bit and she nodded, "Yeah, I do. Do you want to know?"

Harry nodded. Emily glanced at Draco and he nodded slowly but surely. They didn't have a ton of time to pick out names, and they both felt that knowing the gender would simplify that already daunting task.

"It's a girl," Emily murmured, looking down. When Hannah had told her a few weeks ago that she was going to be having a girl, a part of Emily had crumbled. She had always dreamed of having a daughter. She had struggled with sleeping that night. But she had tried to better her sorrow by reminding herself that she would have a daughter someday, when she was in love and when she was secure. She knew that would be a much better situation to raise a daughter in anyway. Deep down she knew that it was far better to give her daughter over to the two well to-do men than to try and raise her herself.

Harry seemed slightly beside himself at the prospect of having a girl. He had wanted a boy, naturally, but the idea of having a daughter suddenly thrilled him. His mind swam with silly, stereotypical images of a father/daughter relationship. Surely he would be going to many a tea party and painting little fingernails. Draco, meanwhile, remained unmoved by this information.

While Harry murmured excitedly about the gender, Draco interrupted, "Emily, are you sure you want to go through with this? It's not too late to back out."

Emily looked down and ran a hand unconsciously over her stomach again. She had been able to feel a little movement the other day. She wondered if her daughter would be strong. She wondered whether she would have her hazel eyes or the father's blue-gray eyes, her deep brown hair or his strawberry blonde hair? Or would this beautiful child be a mix of the traits? She wasn't sure. The terms they were about to agree to meant that she would not be able to see the child once it was born, not even hold her. It was for the best. It had been a term she had insisted upon when creating the contract. She knew if she held that little girl she would never let go of her again.

With a cracking voice, Emily finally responded to Draco, "I'm sure. She'll be happier with your family. I want her to be happy, that's all I want."

"Well, if you're sure," Lawrence chimed in as he stood and walked over with the forms, "Sign and date these." He handed a copy to all three of them.

They signed off on the already agreed upon terms. Lawrence tucked the paperwork into a folder and spoke again, "Now, far more formal but far less specific, it is still a part of our bylaws to perform an unbreakable vow in the event of a wizarding adoption, as the agency no doubt made you aware. Generally these are simple vows about caring for the child in the stead of the birth parent. You could be more specific, but that is dangerous territory. This is just a precaution to ensure the adoptive family is serious about raising the child. The biological parent has already signed their contract, which is less life threatening, but does make it impossible for her to contact the child before she is contacted by the child first, which can be no earlier than age seventeen. So, if all parties are willing and able, we can go ahead and perform a vow."

They all agreed solemnly, clasping wrists until their arms formed a sort of triangle. Cobblesmith took out his wand and rested it against Emily's hand.

"Do you promise to raise my child in my place?" Emily asked, tears in her eyes.

"We do," Harry and Draco vowed in chorus. A thin tendril of fire emitted from the end of Cobblesmith's wand and wrapped around all of their hands. It was not painful, but they could feel the heat of the magic.

"Do you promise to care for and love her as long as she is in your custody?"

"We do," Another long strip of flame coiled around each of them.

Emily glanced at Lawrence and nodded slowly. He lifted his wand. The fiery whisps lingered momentarily before vanishing. They slowly relaxed their grips and let go of each other.

The severity of the vow weighed heavily on both Draco and Harry. They knew exactly what they were vowing to, and they knew the consequences of not being the competent parents they always hoped they would be. Harry was optimistic, mentally reminding himself that loving and caring for his child was the easy part. Draco, meanwhile, was scared that he may not love the child enough and would perish for it. With the last of the documents signed and prepared for the birth, the group was allowed to leave the office.

"By all means," Harry said as they headed towards the fireplaces in the main hall entrance, "If you want us to come to appointments with you, we would be happy to."

"I don't really have appointments. I go and see Madame Abbott twice a week to check in on things. If you ever want to know how I'm doing, you can always ask her. I told her that you're allowed to know everything she knows," Emily explained briefly.

"Wonderful," Harry said eagerly, "Keep in touch if there is anything you want to talk to us about. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're happy to try and talk you through things."

"Thank you," She said with a mild blush, "That's incredibly kind of you."

They had reached their fireplaces by then. Neville and Emily bid them a goodbye before stepping into the fireplace and disappearing in a burst of bright green flames. Harry turned and looked at Draco before they stepped into their own fireplace. He noticed the expression on Draco's face, "Everything okay?"

"I'm just still nervous,"

"She signed an unbreakable contract. That child is ours by law now."

"I know, but I can't shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong."

Harry shook his head, "You wait and see, everything will work itself out in the end."

Draco sighed softly, "If you say so. Come on, let's get home."

And without any further debate on the matter, the two took each other's hands and stepped into the fire to head home. Draco's nagging feeling of dread was not altogether misplaced, as they would soon discover.


	4. Hard Labor

December 23rd, 2005

Emily's father had finally been told that his daughter was pregnant. Much to her surprise, her father had not been upset. He was relieved by the fact that the child was going to be put up for adoption. So when Emily came home for the winter holidays, he was not stunned by how large her belly had become. He just joked that he would make an extra batch of sugar cookies.

Her family was the type to truly embrace the holiday season. The tree was up in the corner and heavily decorated in tinsel and decorative apples. Sure enough, her father had made one too many cookies and they littered the house on a million different decorative plates. Their traditions were rather specific in their home. December 23rd was the last normal day until the day after Boxing Day. This was a night to unwind and relax before the festivities.

On Christmas Eve they would be lighting a violet scented candle in honor of her mother that would burn for three days straight. She had loved the Christmas season, and violets had always been her favorite flower. Sometimes, Emily dreamt of having a daughter and naming her Violet. But she knew that wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. She would have to wait awhile to have a daughter in the future to name in memory of her mother. The eve also brought the presents and dinner with just her father and grandmother. They always invited her mother's family, but they always declined. They had hated that their daughter had married a wizard. Most of them hadn't even met Emily.

It was Christmas day when they would go across the country to see her father's side of the family. It was always an enjoyable time. Given that she was approaching her eighteenth birthday, Emily had been looking forward to being able to drink her aunt's famous spiked egg nogs. But with the baby, she would be barred from having any such drink. The whole family knew about the pregnancy, but most of them were pretending she wasn't. They weren't going to talk about it or acknowledge it if they could help it, for her own sake.

She was due in six weeks. They had a plan set up with Madame Abbott to excuse her from class for a day. There were potions that were created to help her recover faster from the intensity of labor, she would be able to go back to class the very next day.

But this was a calm night. Or, at least, it was supposed to be. Emily had been sitting on the couch eating her sixth cookie of the day while watching _It's a Wonderful Life_ with her grandmother. Ever since her father had married her mother, her father's family had been enamored with Muggle films. Her grandmother especially loved the Christmas classic, ever since her daughter in law had introduced it to her two decades ago. It was in the middle of happily watching the film that Emily blushed crimson and felt her pants becoming increasingly wet. She assumed she had peed her pants. But her father knew immediately that her water had broke.

"Shit!" Emily cursed as soon as her father voiced his realization.

"Language, Emily," Her grandmother reprimanded her.

"I shouldn't be going into labor this early! I'm allowed to swear for going into early labor!" She screamed. She turned to her dad, the movie long forgotten, "What do I do?"

"Well, we can't go to St. Mungo's, nobody there will be able to see you if they don't know the situation. We have to go the Muggle hospital down the street. It's where your mum had you. They'll take care of you just fine. But we should go _now_ ," Her father remained perfectly calm the whole while. He moved to help her onto her feet, "Mum, send an owl to the fathers. Tell them the baby is on the way. Tell them our address so they can come via floo powder. Then tell them which hospital we went to."

"Will do," She said as she struggled out of her chair, straightened up, and headed over toward the open cage where their barn owl rested. Emily and her father got out of the house as fast as she could waddle, getting into the old rust bucket of a car that her mom had left behind. Grandma, meanwhile, scrawled a letter for the fathers to be. She fed the owl a small treat and tied the letter to her leg, "Be a good dear and take that to a Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy."

The bird hooted happily and headed for the window as the grandma opened it. The owl landed on the window sill of the Potter-Malfoy living room in record time, tapping vigorously on the glass. The two men were sitting on the couch in front of the window and jumped when they heard it. Neither of them recognized the bird, but they let her in straight away. They untied the letter from her and she disappeared into the night again. Draco shut the window as Harry rolled out the bit of parchment and read out loud,

"Dear Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, Emily has gone into labor. Our fireplace is on the floo network, you can follow the address at the bottom of the parchment. From there you should be able to make it to the Muggle hospital in town. She's just left, so you should be able to make it before the baby is born."

Both of them looked at each other in horror. They didn't speak. They knew they were both thinking the same thing: whywasthebabybeingbornsoearlywhatwashappening. But instead of worrying their minds, they both stood and went to the fireplace. There was no point in wasting time with conjecture. The baby was coming and the baby was coming now. They had to be there. They threw in the floo powder and said the address as they stepped into the flame, stepping out into an unfamiliar living room.

A frail old woman was sitting on a chair by the fireplace, "It's the hospital just down the street. You can see it from here. You should be able to apparate straight there, just be careful nobody spots you," She offered helpfully.

They both thanked her profusely and said goodbye before rushing outside. They turned and looked down the street. They saw the glow of the hospital and quickly apparated, landing on the road just outside before rushing inside.

They followed the signs up to the third floor and ran to a desk outside the elevator, "Emily Felix, where's Emily Felix?"

"Are you family?" The nurse asked, seeming very uninterested.

"We're the adoptive parents of her child, she's just gone into labor. We need to be there with her," Harry explained rapidly.

The nurse made a noise of contempt and looked down at her computer screen, eyes slightly glazed as she looked at something, "I'm sorry, I don't see any note about anyone besides family being allowed in the delivery room."

Draco leaned close to Harry and muttered under his breath into his husband's ear, "You didn't happen to bring the invisibility cloak did you?"

"No."

"You know, you two whispering with each other doesn't make me any more likely to let you in to see a woman in labor. Do I need to call security?"

"No, ma'am, that won't be necessary. But you have to believe us. We've already signed the papers to adopt her child. She's gone into labor prematurely, we need to be there," Harry explained frantically.

Draco was able to see that this was not going to go well. No matter how much Harry pleaded, and he appeared to be approaching tears, this cranky nurse was not going to let them through. He sympathized with her, he knew she was just doing her job, but he also was not going to let her get in the way of the birth of his child. As subtle as he could, he slipped his wand out from his pocket and silently cast the imperius curse. She seemed to relax in her seat just as Harry was asking again.

She smiled placidly, "Yeah, alright. Room 106, just down that way and on the left."

They raced down the hall. Harry looked over his shoulder at Draco and said, "I sincerely hope nobody saw you do that."

"I don't really care if they did," Draco admitted as they approached the room.

They stepped inside and were immediately faced with a piercing wail. A doctor was at the foot of the bed, blocking the view of Emily's nether regions. The father was at her bedside, and waved Draco and Harry in. They both moved to Emily's other side. She looked up at them and they immediately saw she was in tears. In that moment they both saw her for what she truly was: a scared child. She reached out and took Harry's hand as he was closest to her. Draco in turn held onto Harry's other hand, equally scared.

Draco turned to the father, "Why is this happening so soon? I thought she wasn't due for six more weeks?"

"Premature labor, it can happen sometimes," The dad explained. Pregnancy in the wizarding world was far smoother than muggle ones, so the idea of a premature birth would be totally foreign to most wizards.

"Well, to further complicate things," The doctor added, "We've got a breech birth."

"What's that mean?" Emily asked in a panic.

"Baby's coming out ass first," She said frankly, "This can cause complications, but it should work out fine as long as we can get the head out. Emily, I need you to not push for a moment, okay? I know you're going to feel the urge, but you need to avoid it for a moment as I get the legs out."

Emily squeezed her father and Harry's hand tight and looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep herself from following the natural urge to push.

"Okay, Emily, you can start to push now, but be as gently as you can."

Emily did as she was told, trying to focus on her breath. The doctor seemed frustrated. Draco was watching her expression closely. She was clearly trying to coax the baby out and not as successful as she wanted to be. "Stop, Emily. Hang on," The doctor paused, her hands moving out of Draco's line of sight. "Ah, that's why. Emily, you're having twins."

They all looked utterly stunned. She looked terrified. Draco and Harry exchanged a shared look of excitement and confusion. They had never imagined such a thing was possible.

"I need another nurse in here!" The doctor shouted. Clearly the additional twin was causing problems. The first nurse knelt at the foot of the bed and held the first baby's body, her head still stuck inside the mother. If she was without oxygen much longer she was going to be in danger. The second nurse came in and was able to use the forceps to widen the opening as the doctor slowly and carefully pushed the second baby away from the birth canal. The head of the second baby had been making it impossible for the first baby to come out. With the forceps in and with the second baby nudged back, the first baby was finally delivered. She instantly started screaming, giving them all a great sense of relief. The first nurse had a blanket wrapped around the child quickly, rubbing it's skin and patting its back before lying it down on a small table and using a strange looking bulb to clear its nostrils and mouth. The baby's mighty roar proved that she was likely alright, but they still had to take precautions. The nurse left with the baby. Draco and Harry tensed, concern rising as the second baby was quickly delivered.

"That's two girls for the price of one," The doctor said as she handed off the much smaller baby to the second nurse. This baby was silent until her mouth and nose were cleared and she let out a pitiful mewling cry. She was so unbelievably small. They whisked her off even faster than they had the first one.

"What's happening to them?" Emily cried as she lay there, still waiting for the placenta that would follow. Her grip had slackened, but she looked even more terrified.

"They're both small and premature. They have to be weighed and checked. If they don't weigh enough or can't totally breathe for themselves, they'll have to stay here," The doctor explained to all of them.

"When can we see them?" Draco asked anxiously.

"When we say so," The doctor said curtly, "You can go and wait in the lobby until then. The labor is just about done here once the placenta is delivered."

Harry and Draco turned to Emily, but she couldn't look at them.

"You said you didn't want updates, is that still true?" Harry asked gently.

She nodded slowly. She was barely able to speak. Her father squeezed her hand in his, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.

"We'll make sure they know how brave their mother is," Draco said solemnly, "Thank you for all that you have done for us, Emily."

She nodded as she kept crying. She still couldn't look their way. They glanced at the father. He smiled sadly at them and mouthed, "Go,"

Without another word, Harry let go of her hand and the two men left quietly.

...

They were stuck in the waiting room for hours. As they waited around, they were able to process all that had happened. Draco was the first to approach the subject matter, about half an hour into their wait, "What if one of them doesn't make it?"

Harry rested a hand on Draco's knee as they sat on the couch, "I have to believe they will both make it. Even if they don't, they do both deserve names."

"We only had half of a name picked out, how are we supposed to come up with two full names?" Draco asked sadly. They had decided Harry would get to name their daughter. Obviously, he preferred the name Lily. But only one of them could be a Lily.

"Well, why don't you name the other?" Harry asked.

"I don't know of any good constellations to name her after. I might not like my family a whole lot, but I have always liked that tradition."

"I'm sure you can think of something appropriate. How about you pick out a good constellation for a middle name for Lily and I pick out a good middle name for the second?"

Draco hummed and leaned back against the uncomfortable couch. His practically photographic memory of the stars helped. Most of the constellations had masculine or very weird names. He supposed they could name her Sirius, but that seemed very odd. Andromeda was also an option, but he wanted Teddy to have the chance to use that name if he so desired later in life.

A good one finally struck him, "How about Lyra?"

"Oh, I like that."

"Can you think of a good middle name for that? Someone else you want to honor?"

"Minerva," Harry said immediately.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Doesn't that seem like too many '-a' sounds?"

"Lyra Minerva Potter-Malfoy sounds good to me."

"Well," Draco hummed, "You might have a point there. That does sound nice."

"What should Lily's middle name be then? What's another constellation?"

Draco smiled to himself, "Well, the brightest star in the Lyra constellation is Vega."

"Lily Vega Potter-Malfoy?"

"Lily Vega Potter-Malfoy."

Harry smiled and nodded, "Beautiful names. I like it. See, was that so hard?"

Draco's happy expression slowly shifted as he remembered that there was the possibility that they might be burying one of them by the end of the night. What if they were just too underweight? What if there was no saving them? Only time would tell, and time was being quite impatient with them in making them wait hours on end. It was around one in the morning when a nurse finally told them they could follow her. They had to stop themselves from tripping on the nurse's heels as they followed close behind.

"Now," the nurse warned, "They both need more monitoring and we can't risk an infection, so you can't go in and hold them yet. We're about to move the smaller one into the NICU. The bigger one should be fine, but this is just a precaution." She brought them up to a window in the wall that looked into a room filled with small plastic bassinets, "You'll have to stay out here for now. Your twins are right here," She pointed to two nearby cribs marked by a pink tag to indicate their gender.

"I'll give you some time with them." The nurse said before walking away.

Draco put a hand over his mouth and blinked back tears as he looked down at their squirming newborns. Harry wrapped an arm around Draco's waist. Draco automatically put an arm around his husband's shoulders. The girl on the left was the first born and was noticeably bigger than her sister. She had a scruff of dark hair on her head. The girl on the right was barely moving and seemed to be struggling more. A shock of light, reddish hair was on hers.

"Well," Harry murmured, "That's our Lily."

"And that's our Lyra," Draco sighed looking to the larger, healthier daughter.

"We have twin daughters."

"We're parents."

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

Harry carefully picked Lyra up out of her crib and held her to his shoulder. She gurgled irritably.

"Shh, it's okay sweetheart, daddy's got you," He assured her as she squirmed in his arms.

The nurse that was monitoring him nodded with a big grin, "Just like that. See? I told you you were doing just fine."

Harry smiled bashfully, "Think so?"

"Know so. I've seen a lot of bad dads in my time, but you're not one of them," The woman laughed happily. "Ready to take her home?"

"What?" Harry asked, dumbstruck.

"Well, she's able to latch to a bottle now and she's breathing just fine. She's up to a healthy weight. The doctor's given her the okay to go home."

Harry was not sure how this was going to work. He sighed and said, "Lily can't go home yet though, can she?"

The nurse shook her head sadly, "She just hasn't mastered breathing without a tube yet. She'll get there soon, I know she will, but she isn't ready to leave yet."

"What am I supposed to do? Take Lyra home and be alone with her while my husband stays here and watches over Lily?" It was hardly an ideal situation. The nurse just shrugged and held out her hands, clearly showing she had no other option to offer. Harry sighed again and carefully put Lyra down in her hospital issued crib. "I need to talk to him before we make any decision."

"There's not much of a decision to make. Choosing to keep a healthy child here any longer not only means a higher medical bill for you, but it means one less bed for a baby like Lily who needs it more," The nurse explained.

Harry sighed and walked out of the room. He headed farther down the hall and turned into the NICU ward. He was not pleased with how things were turning out. He didn't want to have to be separated from Draco. They had developed a routine of watching their daughters every day, taking turns and rotating every so often. Most nights they fell asleep on lounge chairs they pushed together. But now they would actually have to be completely taken away from each other, one watching each daughter and unable to leave their side.

Harry stepped into the ward and immediately spotted his ghost of a husband. He had become paler over the last couple of days and had hardly been eating. Lily hadn't improved much since her birth. Draco spent most of his days sitting in a large chair beside her strange plastic enclosure, watching her closely. A small bag rested on the floor beside him. Tucked into the chair beside him was the _Tales of the Beedle and the Bard_. He had taken to reading to her from time to time. He looked up as Harry walked over, but he didn't speak.

Harry knelt in front of him and took his husband's hand. They were quiet for a long moment. Harry was trying to figure out how to break the news. But Draco was able to figure it out for him, "They're sending Lyra home, aren't they?"

Harry could only nod. Draco shook his head and looked through the clear plastic at their fragile daughter. She had grown since her birth, but was still not big enough to leave. She especially couldn't leave when she still needed tubes to survive.

"They said it might be another two or three weeks before Lily is ready," Draco muttered under his breath. "How are we supposed to handle that?"

"I'll take care of Lyra. Molly and Narcissa can help if I need it. I'll be fine. She's fussy, but she's manageable. You stay here with Lily. Keep an eye on her and keep me updated. Lyra and I will come and visit when we can until she's able to come home with you," Harry explained, trying to be the voice of reason.

Draco knew there was no other choice. They could try rotating, but that seemed too complicated with newborns. He quietly agreed to the terms. Harry disappeared briefly and put Lyra into a rather large, heavily padded car seat. It was simply a method to carry her home. He was going to have to take the knight bus home, however, so perhaps it was good to have. He carried her back to Draco. For the first time in awhile, Draco smiled as he knelt in front of Lyra all strapped in and cozy in her slightly too big onesie.

"You be good to your daddy okay?" He said before kissing her head. He stood and held Harry in his arms for a moment, his chin resting on his shoulder. "Keep me updated on Lyra and I'll keep you updated on Lily."

"Agreed," Harry murmured before pulling back and kissing his husband sweetly. There was a bitter sweetness to it. They both hated that they couldn't be bringing both babies home with them. With one last parting kiss with his husband, Harry picked up Lyra's carrier and headed out of the hospital.

* * *

 _Three Days Later_

The fireplace suddenly burst into green flames. Lyra had already been in the midst of crying, but cried louder in fright at the sudden noise of the crackling flames. Molly stepped out of the fireplace just in time to see Harry taking off his glasses and shaking his head. Lyra was sitting in her carrier, crying pathetically.

Molly smiled sympathetically. Harry hadn't even bothered looking up as she entered the room. He just watched as she walked over to the baby and scooped her up. She put the baby up against her shoulder and patted at her back a bit aggressively.

Harry frowned, "Don't hurt her."

"Harry, I've had seven children. I think I know what I'm doing," Molly said, not unkindly, with a little twinkle in her eye. Sure enough, Lyra spit up a bit of formula onto Mrs. Weasley's sweater and instantly stopped her crying.

"There, that's better isn't it?" Molly giggled at the little girl before putting her back down in the carrier. She cleaned the mess off with a quick spell and turned to Harry, "Usually within a couple hours of being fed they need to burp. They're not used to these feelings, so they cry. Same thing for gas, although there's nothing you can really do to help that along. How often have you been feeding her?"

"Just like they told me, about ten times a day."

"Good man," She praised, "And how's her poops?"

"What?" Harry asked incredulously.

"These things matter, Harry. You're going to have to start paying attention to even the gross parts of parenting," She reminded him.

"I don't know, sometimes it's almost green and it reeks to high heaven. Is that bad?"

"No, that's pretty normal for a formula fed baby," She said. "And how's she sleeping?"

"She always seems to be sleeping, but it's never for very long. I'm up at least three times in the night."

"Good, that's to be expected. I'm guessing you're about to fall over on your feet right about now then?" Molly guessed with a knowing smile.

Harry slowly nodded. He had been vaguely aware of how fatigued his body was, but as soon as she had mentioned it his body seemed to crumple in on itself. He could barely keep himself standing. Molly patted his shoulder sympathetically, "Go on upstairs and get some sleep, I'll watch her awhile."

"Thank you," Harry professed before dragging himself up the stairs. He didn't bother to change out of his clothes or even pull back the covers. He just fell face first into bed and was immediately asleep.

Molly glanced around the living room and noticed what a mess the place was. A small pile of dirty diapers was piling in a corner that Harry had clearly made into a makeshift changing station. Blankets, clothes, and stuffed animals were strewn everywhere else. She shook her head and looked down at Lyra who was now quietly staring into space, seemingly oblivious to the world.

"You've really done a number on your dad haven't you?" She asked the baby with a little laugh. Lyra looked up in her general direction. "Well, we'll just sort things out for him while he's asleep, shall we?" She slipped her wand out of her the pocket of her long flowing skirt and waved it with ease. The diapers disappeared, the laundry folded itself, and the toys tucked themselves away in a small box against the wall.

"Much better," Molly said with great satisfaction. She summoned one of the bigger blankets her way and spread it across the floor. She carefully took Lyra out of her carrier, which apparently was where Harry put her when he didn't know what to do with her, and put her down on the blanket on her stomach. Lyra immediately seemed displeased by this sudden change. She grunted irritably.

"Yes, I know, it's hard to hold your head up isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley sympathized. "But you've got to get some practice at it, don't you?"

Lyra seemed to think otherwise. After a minute of trying to hold herself up, the baby started to cry angrily. Molly just chuckled to herself and scooped the baby up in her arms. She summoned a binky and gave it to the crying child, who took it greedily.

"So, Miss Lyra, they tell me that you were an interesting case. Oh, yes, they tell me you had a sister with you the whole time your mother had you in her belly, but nobody knew until you were born. That's quite a remarkable thing, isn't it? Well let me tell you something, and you listen well," Molly said in earnest, though the baby was only staring blankly up at her. "You were born with a best friend. She's going to be with you through thick and thin, even if she gets on your nerves from time to time. The two of you are going to mean the world to each other. Now, if you're really lucky, you will always have each other. But don't take for granted what time you have with her, okay? I took it for granted that I would have my brothers with me for the rest of my life. I took it for granted that my twin sons would always have each other. Don't you go taking your sister for granted, do you understand?" Lyra, naturally, did not speak or make any indication that she understood her grandmother. But she didn't need to. Molly vowed to remind Lyra again and again how lucky she was to have her sister.

She was secretly quite worried that Lily was not going to make it. She had not seen the baby herself yet, but she knew from what Harry had told her that she wasn't doing well. If she didn't gain weight or if she got an infection, she would be a goner.

* * *

 _The Same Day_

Draco shut the book and wedged it between the cushion of the chair in which he sat. He had been reading to her for a couple hours. She was asleep again. He was not sure if it was because his reading had soothed her or if it had just been coincidental. He was exhausted; he wouldn't have minded a nap himself. It seemed like he didn't sleep at all anymore. He barely ate. He was becoming skin and bones. On occasion, his body gave up and he would pass out in the chair beside her incubator.

He had sent word to his mother about the condition of her granddaughter and she had stopped by to see her yesterday. She had seemed worried about the baby, but more worried about Draco. She noted the bags under his eyes and the way he seemed distant from the world. She had insisted on giving him a bit of calming draught, but it did no good. No magical remedy could cure him of his constant worry and concern.

He leaned across his chair and grabbed a glove from a box nearby, pulling it onto his hand. He put his hand through the opening in the incubator and gently brushed a covered finger against her small cheek. He hated having so many barriers between him and his daughter. He had been racking his brains for the past two weeks trying to come up with a magical solution for her premature state. But there wasn't any he could think of that had been tested on premature infants. There were medical treatments for fully grown babies in the wizarding world, but there was never such a thing as a prematurely born wizard child. The research was practically non existent, and he wasn't willing to risk potentially endangering his daughter's life further with an untested theory.

She stretched and made a soft noise in her sleep. Tears welled in his eyes. He wanted to take her home so badly. He wanted to rip the tubes out of her face, scoop her up in his arms, and carry her all the way home. She needed to be with her sister. He needed to be with Harry. They were not meant to be a divided family like this.

He shook his head to himself and pulled his hand away from her. He didn't want to wake her, especially if she might be dreaming. He stripped the latex glove off his hand and threw it in the nearest bin. He leaned back in his chair and let his glazed eyes shift away from the plastic chamber to the room around him. He had a tendency to forget his surroundings when he was monitoring their daughter. Which is how he only just then realized that his father was standing at the other end of the ward, watching him. They made eye contact. Draco's eyes widened slightly in alarm. It had over a year since he had spoken to him or seen him. He had told his father to stay away until he could learn to accept the fact that Draco was married to Harry Potter and friends with the Weasleys. So why was he standing there? Draco doubted that his father could have gotten over himself that quickly.

Lucius was far enough away that if he spoke Draco would scarcely be able to hear him. There was a moment's hesitation when they made eye contact. But after this moment passed, Lucius strode forward. For once in his life he was not wearing anything that could come off as menacing. He was in apparently plain Muggle clothes, though the black dress pants and black button down were still unnecessarily formal for a hospital setting. Draco was surprised to notice that his father's walking stick was absent from his person.

Lucius finally made it close enough to Draco. He looked down at his son and opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed unable to find the words. He glanced over at the incubator to his incredibly small granddaughter. He looked back to Draco and seemed to finally find his nerve, "Your mother told me what happened. I — I am so sorry for the shame and pain that I caused you on your wedding day. You and Harry didn't deserve it. I misjudged you. I've been used to judging you based on my own morals and on family tradition. But you're far more than that. You're better than that, better than me. I have been a negligent father to you. You sit here day after day with your daughter, hoping she makes it through this. Despite my failures with you, you have grown to be far braver and stronger than I ever assumed you to be. I may have been imperfect, and at times, perhaps, cruel, but I want to undo some of that damage and start afresh. If you'll allow me, I would like to help in whatever way I can with Lily. Even if that just means watching her while you catch up on sleep."

Draco could tell that he was being sincere. Draco stood and faced his father. Lucius seemed worried, wondering what his son would do. But to his surprise and delight, Draco reached forward and embraced his father. He easily and gladly forgave his father's transgressions and accepted his offer to help. It was all Draco had ever wanted from his father, his acceptance and a sincere apology for all the pain he had caused. Finally, his father was able to recognize that his son was not a disgrace to the family name.

Lucius held tight to his son, grateful for his son's remarkable ability to forgive. He hasn't the slightest clue where he had gotten it from, but he suspected it was from Harry. "I love you," Lucius reminded Draco, "I know it doesn't always show very well, but it's true."

"I know, but it's okay. I love you too."

 _Two Weeks Later_

The nurse removed the tube in the baby's nose. Lily squirmed and whined as she did. Once it was out, she breathed just fine, staring at her audience with a curious expression. Draco and Lucius were hovering anxiously. They waited several minutes as the nurse monitored her breathing closely. Finally she smiled and said, "Well, it looks like Miss Lily is able to breathe just fine on her own now."

Lily started to cry pathetically as soon as the nurse had finished talking. This made the nurse laugh, "That's what we like to hear! Someone must be getting hungry. Does dad want to sit and feed her?" She asked Draco with a smile as she started mixing up a bottle from the supplies in the room.

"Is it safe? She won't get an infection?"

"If she is breathing on her own like this I'm less worried. Besides, she needs to bond."

Draco didn't need to be told twice. He sat back down in the chair beside the open incubator. He hadn't held his daughter yet. He and the staff had been too concerned about a potential infection jeopardizing his daughter's health. The nurse set the bottle aside and scooped Lily, tube free, out of the incubator. She smiled warmly at the squirmy baby and told Draco to hold out his arms. She carefully handed off the baby. She had grown since her birth, resembling a typical newborn rather than a tiny doll. The nurse quietly wedged a pillow under Draco's left arm and handed him the bottle.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, but as if he didn't need air to begin with. He looked down at his daughter and she looked up at him. Her pale gray eyes stared back at him. She was whimpering sadly. He carefully guided the bottle toward her, and she latched on fast. The nurses has been bottle feeding her for a week or so since her feeding tubes had been removed. Her small hand grabbed onto the bottle. For whatever reason, she didn't stop looking up at her father while she ate. He didn't mind one bit. He wanted to remember this moment as clearly as possible. For as long as he lived, he doubted he would ever see such a beautiful sight. His little girl that he had been so fearful of losing for the past month was safe in his arms, happily eating and breathing just fine on her own. He had known romantic love with Harry, and friendly love with Ron and Neville. But this was something else entirely. He felt more protective in that moment than he ever had in his entire life. He could never allow harm to come to her. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy. He knew he would never truly let her go. Lily was always going to be his little girl.

When the bottle was emptied, the nurse quietly disposed of it and took Lily again. Draco didn't want to let her go. He would be content to just hold her and stare at her all day long. But he gave her back to the nurse anyway, knowing he had to. She walked Lily over to a scale and carefully placed her on it. Lily was surprisingly calm and didn't fuss about.

The nurse smiled to herself and picked Lily up again, "Well Mr. Malfoy, it looks like your daughter is finally up to the right weight. I'm going to call the doctor and ask for the official stamp of approval, but it looks like you get to go home with her today."

She set the baby down in the open incubator again and left the NICU.

Draco turned to his father, who had been quietly standing back the whole time. He was in shock. Just yesterday he hadn't been able to hold his child and now today she was going to be going home.

"Perhaps you should tell your husband you're coming home. It wouldn't do to surprise him too much," Lucius suggested with a small smile. He was getting a kick out of the expression of sheer delight on his son's face.

"I don't think we'll be able to get an owl in a muggle hospital anytime soon. Do you think I can send a patronus without anyone noticing?"

"Perhaps step out back behind the hospital. A bit safer that way. I would hate for the whole world to be exposed because you were too excited about bringing your daughter home."

"Right. Okay. I'll do that. I'll be right back. Keep an eye on her will you?" He asked his father briefly before bolting off to tell his husband the good news.

Lucius sat down in front of the incubator. He wanted to pick her up, but knew that he shouldn't if he didn't have explicit permission from the hospital staff to do so. Instead, he leaned forward so that he was near enough for Lily to see him. He knew very well that newborns were nearsighted, and he wanted to be certain that Lily could see him. Her eyes turned to him and looked at him expectantly.

"Hi there, Lily," He murmured gently. He had talked to her a few times before, but it was still a rare occurrence. He was finally getting used to the idea that he was a grandfather. "It looks like you're going to go home today to meet your sister and daddy. But grandpa won't be able to see you for awhile. You see, grandpa wasn't always … a good man. What I mean to say is that your other father doesn't exactly like me, and I wouldn't expect him to after the things I've said and done to him and his loved ones. A lot of those people will soon be _your_ loved ones. Which is why I'm trying to be better, you see? So, grandpa is trying to be better. But grandpa also knows that forgiveness can take time. Grandma Cissy will come to see you, but Grandpa Lucius may not be as welcome. Which I understand. I just don't want you to think your grandpa doesn't love you. Your grandpa loves you very much, Lily. You know, your Grandpa Arthur will love you just as much when he meets you, but Grandpa Lucius is the only one that will gladly curse people on your behalf. If there's one thing I know it's that family matters above all else, so you can bet I would do anything for you two."

He heard his son's footsteps approaching down the hall. He had always had a hurried gait that was easy for Lucius to identify. Lucius took the last moment to whisper to his granddaughter, "I love you. Tell your sister that I love her too."

He returned to his seat and a heartbeat later his son had reentered the NICU and was striding over to them, "She okay?"

"Oh yes, just absently staring out at the world as babies are oft to do," Lucius said.

"I let Harry know, hopefully he will be a bit prepared by the time we make it home."

Lucius got up on his feet, "Yes, I'm sure he'll be ready for the two of you." Just as he was about to continue speaking the nurse suddenly reappeared to inform them the doctor gave her okay for Lily to go home. "Perfect timing," The eldest Malfoy commented, "I was just on my way out."

"You're leaving?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Yes, I think it's best if I don't return with you and Lily. I don't want to cause a ruckus with my arrival. Harry is probably still furious at me for the wedding, it's best if I stay away for awhile. Your mother is more than willing to come by if you need a babysitter or help with anything. But, like I said, it's probably best if I leave your family alone."

"I don't want you out of my life anymore," Draco insisted, "I didn't just want you to show up to meet your grandchildren and then kick you out again."

"You misunderstand," His father corrected, "My concern is not with you. I know you don't want me gone again. It's your husband I'm worried about."

"I'm not even sure how Harry feels about you right now. I can talk to him. I'm sure he wouldn't be opposed to you seeing the girls."

"Well, nonetheless, that is a conversation that needs to be had _before_ I go barging in the front door. You keep me posted on whether or not he is okay with me being in his home or visiting his children. In the meantime, I'll head back to the manor." He paused and looked at his son. He smiled to himself. He was either beginning to shrink in his approaching old age or his son was taller than he had last remembered. They stood eye level with each other for the first time. Lucius, who had never been fond of hugs, found himself more willing around his son. He took his son in his arms again and held him fast. Something about holding him close like this reminded him of when Draco was a boy. When Draco still idolized him and didn't know any better, didn't understand the truth. He let go of him and bid him a farewell before departing.

Draco was left with a strange empty feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain. He had never been particularly attached to his father. He had certainly been desperate for his attention, but he had never felt close with him. This was a new feeling, and he was grateful for it.

He turned to his daughter and felt the emptiness fill itself. He grinned and carefully picked her up from her incubator, cradling her in his arms, "Are you ready to go home sweetheart?" She looked up at her father and giggled. He took it as a wonderful sign of good times to come.


	5. Grandparents

February 14th, 2006

Harry gently patted Lyra's back as he rested her against his shoulder. Draco sat on the floor with Lily, jostling a rattle just out of her reach. Lily smiled in response as she struggled to reach for the silver rattle. The fire was glowing across the room. Harry stared at it impatiently. Draco didn't need to look up to know that Harry was getting irritated, "We didn't tell them when to come. We just said we were going to go out for dinner, we didn't say what time."

"Why didn't we mention it was a reservation?"

"Because we were a bit frazzled and confused from lack of sleep, as per usual," Draco said in his baby voice without looking away from Lily.

"Still, they could have bothered to show up early as a precaution."

"Harry, your prejudice is showing."

He scowled to himself, knowing full well his husband was right. He had not completely believed Draco when he had returned from the hospital with Lily and told him that his father had apologized for ruining their wedding. Supposedly, Lucius had redeemed himself. At least, he had in his son's eyes. Harry was more skeptical. He doubted that Lucius was capable of good intentions. After the fiasco at the wedding, Harry had privately concluded that there was no way Lucius could ever come completely to terms with the fact that Draco had chosen him. He had had so much back and forth with Lucius' approval that Harry had decided it would be far easier to just assume that his father-in-law had it in for him and would always hate Harry.

The flames finally turned green and his in-laws passed into their living room. He hardly recognized the pair of them. He had never seen the two of them smiling simultaneously. It was almost unnerving. They were clearly eager to take the kids for the night. Draco smiled as his parents entered his home. He instantly stood up and hugged them each in turn. Lily cooed from the floor.

"How's she been?" Lucius asked with a noted tone of anxiety as he glanced at the small girl lying on the floor and kicking her feet.

Draco picked her up carefully and cradled her in his arms, "She's been eating really well, and getting a good amount of sleep. Apparently she'll always be a smidge smaller than her sister, but they tell us that's normal."

Harry tried not to bristle at the fact that they only expressed interest and concern over Lily, completely ignoring the fact that Lyra existed and had also been born premature. Sure she had recovered faster, but there was no reason to be more concerned with Lily. They were both at the exact same level now, both totally healthy and okay. So why take special concern over Lily? Just because she was the smallest? Narcissa glanced over at Harry, who was standing a few feet back by the staircase, and smiled as her eyes glanced to Lyra.

As father and son chatted about the smallest of the twins, Narcissa stepped over toward Harry and quietly held out her hands, "How's our little trooper?"

"As much of a pain as ever," Harry said with a wistful smile as he handed Lyra over to her grandmother with care. Narcissa was practically aglow. She had been longing to hold a baby again for years. She was delighted that her son had had daughters. She had always wanted one herself. Lyra leaned back and looked at her grandmother, causing Narcissa to beam, "Look at you. Smart girl. Do you know your grandma? Yes, you already recognize grandma don't you? Grandma Cissy is going to bring you home and spoil you rotten. Oh yes she is."

She turned back to Harry as she rested the baby easily on her hip, "Do you have a nappy bag ready? We've got Draco's old bassinets set up at home, so we won't be needing those."

Harry was unsurprised that Draco, despite being their only child, had had more than one crib as an infant. He handed Narcissa the bag stuffed with bottles, formula, and diapers. Lucius carefully took Lily into his arms. Harry watched him closely. He didn't suspect Lucius of harm, but he was still cautious nonetheless. To his surprise, Lucius' eyes lit up and he smiled down at the baby as he held her. Harry could just make out the words he murmured to his granddaughter, "Hello darling. Do you remember grandpa? It's okay if you don't. If it weren't for this luscious hair I doubt if anyone would remember me at all."

Draco interrupted to remind his father, "They usually take a bottle in the next hour or so, and they need to be put down by nine. They'll be up again a short while after that. Lyra usually starts crying first, which wakes up Lily. Oh, and whatever you do, do not put them together."

"Why not?" Narcissa asked.

Draco frowned, "Sometimes twins calm down when they're put beside each other. The opposite happens with these two. It just makes them cry."

"Well, we'll try to keep that in mind. But sweetheart, we have raised a child before. I think we can handle ourselves. You two have fun tonight, alright?" His mother reminded him.

"Just don't hesitate to send an owl if you need us to come back and take them."

"Oh don't worry, we _will_ hesitate," Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Barring anything extreme enough to require an owl being sent your way, when should we expect you?"

"Late, not sure when," Harry answered.

"Why don't you just leave them with us for the night?" Narcissa reasoned with a casual wave of her free hand, "You two have a fun night and come pick them up in the morning. It's the only break you'll have had in weeks, and the last you'll have for some time. It's the least we can do."

Draco started to protest politely, but Harry interrupted him, "Thank you very much, Narcissa. We'll be there in the morning."

"That settles it then," Lucius said, "Have fun you two." He smiled to each of them in turn before he and his wife turned and stepped into the fire. Within a matter of seconds, the fire flickered back into an orange hue before vanishing quietly into a puff of smoke.

"Did your father just approve of us spending a night alone together?" Harry asked curiously. "The same one who interrogated me because he knew we fooled around?"

Draco shrugged, "It would appear so."

…

"Peek-a-boo!"

Lily giggled profusely, squealing with sheer delight. Lucius covered her face again with the little blanket she slept with. "Where's the baby?" He cooed before moving the blanket back and cried, "There she is!" Lily seemed to find this the most entertaining thing in the world. Her hands waved back and forth in delight, but in the process got caught in her grandfather's incredibly long hair. He had been sitting on the floor, leaning over to look down at her and his hair was long enough to touch the floor. She grabbed onto his hair and giggled as she waved her hand around. Lucius' amusement disappeared quickly as he winced at the pain of having his hair tugged at.

"Ow, ow, ow. Lily, please let go of grandpa's hair. Sweetie," He sighed as he reached for her hand and slowly unwound it from the strands of hair, "We don't pull people's hair. It hurts and it's not very nice to do."

Lily didn't seem to understand or care as she watched him. Once her hand was free he pulled his hair back over his shoulder and let it hang down his back. "Remind me to tie my hair up when I'm around you Miss Lily," He said with a little smile.

From the other room came a wild scream. Lucius sighed and picked Lily up off the floor, "Grandpa's going to go help grandma with your sister, okay? You hang tight. Grandpa will be right back, okay?" He put her down in her crib in the living room and wandered into the dining room across the hall. The long dining table had been replaced by a far smaller one, leaving plenty of open floor space. In the middle of the floor lay Lyra on her stomach, screaming hysterically. Her face was practically purple with rage. Narcissa was standing over her and trying to reason with her, though Lucius couldn't hear a word she was saying over the baby's yelling.

"What happened?" Lucius shouted over the crying as he walked over.

"I just put her on her stomach! She's supposed to have tummy time so she can learn to lift her head on her own!" Narcissa was as red in the face as Lyra and gesturing wildly. It was rare that Lucius saw his wife get furious like this. He hadn't seen it in many years. This was the frustration she seemed to only experience with babies. She did this once or twice with Draco when he would be unreasonable.

Lucius knew there was no calming her down. Once she got fired up, it was hard to cool her down. So instead he bent down and picked Lyra up in his arms. He put her up against his shoulder and rubbed her back, humming a random melody as he did. Her shrieks slowly began to lessen into whimpers before disappearing entirely. Narcissa glared at him as if it was a bad thing that he had gotten her to stop crying.

"She needs to have tummy time to work her muscles."

"I know," Lucius said, "But that doesn't mean she's always going to want to do it. If she's being cranky and fussy there's not much you can do about it. She's probably tired and doesn't want to move much. Does anyone want a workout when they're already exhausted?" Lucius explained calmly.

Narcissa bristled, unwilling to admit he had a point, "Well maybe we should put them to bed then if they're so tired."

"Lily isn't tired. But we can put Lyra down. Does that sound okay to you, Miss Lyra?" He asked as he glanced at her on his shoulder. He realized she was eating his hair. He rolled his eyes but didn't stop her from doing it. He turned back to his wife, "Would you mind keeping an eye on Lily for me while I put Lyra to bed?"

She crossed her arms but quietly agreed, shuffling out of the room and heading to the living room to check on the youngest child. Lucius meanwhile kept Lyra on his shoulder as he headed upstairs. He brought her into the study room adjacent from his own bedroom. They would be able to hear her if she cried in the night. Lily's crib was in their room, just in case. Lucius was more precautious of Lily and had insisted her crib go in their room to be safe.

He carefully put her down into her crib and gave her a binky from the diaper bag. She took it greedily and shoved it in her mouth, looking up at her grandpa curiously.

"What would Miss Lyra like? A song? A story?"

She stared at him blankly.

"Grandpa can't really sing, so probably not that. I could read you a book or I could tell you one of my many, slightly depressing life stories."

She continued to stare at him.

"Oh, I know. I'll make one up for you." Lucius said excitedly before beginning, "Once upon a time, there was a little bowtruckle named Stick…"

He had gotten carried away with himself as he told his story and hadn't noticed that Lyra had fallen asleep within a minute of him talking. He looked down in the crib when he had finished his tale. He smiled at the sight of his granddaughter sleeping soundly. Privately, he had always wanted a daughter to spoil and be affectionate with.

He had been taught at a young age that boys were to be disciplined and kept in line, girls were to be indulged and loved. He wondered how things may have been different for his family if Draco had been born a girl. He didn't put too much stock into the notion. He was happy with being given his wish in the form of two granddaughters. He bent down and kissed Lyra's head. She twitched in her sleep as his long blonde hair tickled her cheek, but she did not wake.

He quietly slipped out of the room and headed downstairs into the living room. Narcissa was sitting on the floor in front of Lily and shaking a small toy in front of her. Lily was on her stomach and straining to get the toy from her grandma. Unlike her sister, she did not seem agitated by this. She seemed far more eager to please. Lucius quietly sat down in one of the chairs behind Lily and watched them curiously. He wondered if their responses would carry on into their childhood. Would Lily always be so eager to please and would Lyra always be so obstinate? Draco had always been the baby and the child that wanted to make his parents happy. He did everything he could to make them smile and make them proud. Lucius was well aware of this in hindsight, but had been oblivious to how much his son had craved his attention as a boy. He had not realized how damaging his disappointment had been.

In the year that Lucius had been excommunicated from his son, he had spent a lot of time trying to articulate what it was that made him so disappointed with Draco. He could certainly list the things that he was disappointed in: his choice of partners, his choice of careers, and his aversion to the darker side of magic. Lucius only realized the true source of his anger when he looked toward the past. He had fished out some old journals he had kept as a boy and realized that he was repeating history in the most toxic of ways.

His father had been incredibly abusive to him, both physically and emotionally. He realized that he had been just like Draco as a young man. He had blocked out a lot of these memories since his father's death twenty years ago. A younger Lucius had bent over backwards to please his father and was easily brainwashed into supporting darker magic. His family had a long history of being aligned with such magical ways. Purity, power, and pressure were all that Lucius had been raised on. He had passed that poison along to his own child and he hated himself for it. He had let himself forget the pain of living up to impossible expectations, he had forgotten that his first crush had been a mudblood, and he had forgotten how sad he was as a child at home. He hated that he had done the exact same to his own.

But now he had a chance to undo this damage. He had two precious granddaughters to bestow affection upon. They would never doubt that their grandfather loved them, and Draco would learn to recognize that despite everything he had done, Lucius loved him too.

Narcissa picked Lily up and held her up above her head, making the baby laugh hysterically. Cissy grinned up at the baby and lowered her just enough to kiss her nose and swooped her back up above her. She did this a few times before putting Lily down in her lap, keeping an arm around her middle to keep her from falling. She looked up and realized her husband had entered the room and had been watching her.

His expression was soft and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was remembering how much he loved her. It was only in the past couple of years that they had rekindled the romance they had had in their early years together. While their marriage had been more or less arranged for them by their families, they had fallen in love in their first few years of marriage. But the darkness of war and their massively different approaches to parenting had caused a massive divide to grow between them.

Divorce had always been out of the question. In the pureblood community divorce was the second most disgraceful thing you could do besides marrying a mudblood or muggle. Luckily, once the war had ended and Draco had moved out, Lucius and Narcissa had found their connection again and rekindled their marriage spectacularly.

"You look beautiful," Lucius murmured from his chair.

She smirked, "I don't take hours to get ready every day for nothing." There was absolutely no denying where her son had acquired his fashion sense from.

Lucius shook his head, "It's not that. It's the way you light up with her."

"She has that effect on people, doesn't she? You look the same way with her."

"They both have that effect, they're babies. That's what they do," Lucius commented.

"That's true, but Lily is especially cute."

He smiled, "That she is. I know you're not supposed to pick favorites but —"

Narcissa laughed, "We never picked favorites with ours because we only had one. It was inevitable we were going to have a favorite grandkid. Do you think they'll have more?"

"Unlikely. It was so hard just to get these two. Something like a miracle."

She sighed, "Is it bad that I resent Molly and Arthur just because they get to have so many grandchildren and we only get two?"

"No, because I feel the same way."

They had both come to terms with their lifelong resentment of the Weasley clan. They had learned to set aside their prejudices for the sake of their son-in-law's de facto family. But they still managed to crack a few jokes between each other at the Weasleys' expense.

"They can't even appreciate how lovely these two are because they aren't even their first grandkids, and they certainly won't be the last. They're not even the first twins in the family. They're just more kids to add to the Christmas gathering. But they're our treasures. So we have to spoil them twice as much," Lucius reasoned out.

Narcissa instantly agreed, "Oh, remind me to start an account at Gringotts for them like we did for Teddy."

"Right, right. We can go in tomorrow after they pick them up," Lucius decided.

They had indeed grown close enough with Andromeda that they had silently agreed to start a small account for Teddy. It wasn't well known, but poorer families struggled to send their kids to Hogwarts. They weren't going to let Andromeda struggle with affording his books and supplies on the meager income she had from her new job in muggle relations. Merlin knew it had never been enough money for the Weasleys.

They had also set up the account as reparations. When Andromeda married Ted, the Black family had cut her off. Narcissa still felt lingering guilt from this and had an allotment in the account for Andromeda, to make up for the way the Black family had treated her. She wasn't sure how Andromeda would handle the news, so they had still not told her about the finances yet. Narcissa also hadn't saved up enough to make up for how much Andromeda would have received if she hadn't been exiled from the family.

As husband and wife talked about their lofty dreams of spoiling the girls rotten, they failed to notice that Lily had fallen asleep in her grandma's arms. Her head tipped back against her grandma's chest and she made a soft noise as she dreamed. They both turned their attention back to their granddaughter and smiled lovingly at the sleeping child. Delicately, Narcissa stood and cradled her grandchild in her arms and carried her upstairs into their room. Lucius put out the fire and the lights and followed a few minutes behind. When he stepped into their bedroom he heard her singing a familiar lullaby to their granddaughter. She used to sing it to Draco when he was a baby, an old witch's rhyme that most families raised their children on. He wondered if Draco even remembered it anymore. He knew Harry certainly would be unfamiliar with it. He was glad to hear Cissy singing it to Lily.

Her back was to him as she leaned over the crib and sang to her granddaughter. He smiled to himself and shut the door silently behind him, listening to her carry on singing. When she let the final note fall she whispered something he couldn't decipher and leaned down to kiss the baby girl. He heard her audibly sniff and knew she had gotten emotional. He took a few steps forward and rested a hand on her shoulder gently.

She turned to him and smiled as she wiped at her eyes, "Sorry, was I too loud?"

"You're the quietest singer in the world," Lucius said with a playful smile, "You couldn't bother me with your music if you tried." He placed a gentle kiss on her still damp cheek and mumbled, "You should sing more often. It's beautiful to hear."

"Oh, it's nothing," She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"It is not nothing, and neither are you," He reminded her.

She had admitted to him a few years ago how insignificant she felt growing up and how she still often felt that way. He had been spending the past few years reminding her how much he cared for her and reasserting that she was incredibly important in not just his life but in the whole world. He had partially grown to like Harry because of the happiness that he brought Cissy. Whenever she doubted her worth in the world, he reminded her that Harry would be dead if not for her. She never could argue that point.

Narcissa looked away shyly. Lucius stood before her and gently rested a hand under her chin. Her eyes naturally looked up at him. The expression on her face shifted. When he looked at her the way that he did, with complete adoration and affection, she couldn't help but melt a little bit. They didn't need to wish each other a happy Valentine's day, they didn't need to even say they loved each other. It was unspoken yet understood in the kiss they shared.


	6. Birthday Boy

March 30th, 2006

George tugged the bright yellow onesie onto Fred's wriggly body. A giant number one was stitched onto the chest. Fred tried to squirm away, but George managed to wrangle him into his clothes, "Hey, just be grateful you didn't get daddy's bright red hair. That yellow would never work with red hair. You can wear any color thanks to your mummy. Count your lucky stars." Fred just giggled as his father scooped him up and put him against his shoulder. George kissed his son's cheek, "Happy birthday Freddie boy," He murmured, "Ready to see your family?"

He stepped out of the nursery and down the steps into the living room, "Everything ready to go love?"

"Pretty much," Alicia said as she looked about her living room, hands on her hips, "Balloons shouldn't pop or deflate for a few hours, and the cupcakes are all made. How do you think they turned out?" She asked with a nod toward the couple dozen cupcakes resting on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She turned and saw George was carrying Fred. She held her hands out and took him off his hands with a big grin, "How's my sweetheart?"

Fred cooed, "Mama!"

Alicia's dark eyes lit up with delight and kissed her son's head, "That's my boy. Happy birthday my little man."

"Oh, sweetheart," George said lovingly as he put an arm around her waist as he looked down at the cute cupcakes that spelled out a little birthday wish for their son. "That is so cute. Not that he's going to remember it, much less be able to eat any of them, but I'll definitely eat all of them on his behalf."

Alicia rolled her eyes but smiled to herself, "You're not allowed more than five. You have to leave your family some. Besides, some of the kids will be able to eat them."

"Always stopping me from eating to my heart's content. It's a wonder how you and mum get along so well. You have such opposing beliefs of how much I should eat."

Alicia couldn't help but snicker, "Yes, well, that's why I don't let on that I only allow you three servings of every meal instead of five. Don't you go telling her the truth or I'll never hear the end of it."

"I'm sure she won't hold it against you, but I'll keep it to myself," He assured her with a kiss on the cheek. "When's everyone showing up?"

"Not sure. I said a loose start time of noon. But chances are half of your family will show up far before then," Alicia said with a shrug. "I'm kind of used to it."

Before George could even argue that his family did not show up unannounced, there was a popping sound in the kitchen. A familiar voice called out, "Just us!"

"We're in here," Alicia called as she put Freddie down on the floor on his playmat. He crawled over and played with his toys, oblivious to his family.

Ron and Hermione appeared in the living room and immediately greeted Alicia and George with a warm welcome and hugs. Alicia pulled away from Hermione's hug and rested a hand on her belly, "How far along are you now? Six months?"

"Five, but I'll be six months by the wedding," Hermione said with a beaming grin.

"Have you figured out the gender yet?" She asked as the two of them sat down on the love seat. Alicia was happy to experience the excitement of pregnancy without actually having to go through it again.

"No, we chose not to know until its born," Hermione shrugged her shoulders as she ran a hand over her stomach. "But we have been discussing names."

"What's your top choices?" She asked eagerly.

Ron exchanged a look with George, "How long do you think they'll go on?"

"Oh, forever. Witches can talk about babies all day long. We can literally talk about anything while they're gabbing about kids. There's going to be so many kids here that all of them are going to be distracted. Conveniently, there is something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yeah? What's that?"

Just as he was about to ask Ron something quite important, there was another pop as their parents appeared. They greeted everyone happily, Molly making a beeline for the baby. Shortly after their arrival the fireplace blazed and the rest of their guests arrived, all of whom came well before noon.

The young ones were all kept to a small contained area, a few blankets draped across the floor for them to play on. Lily and Lyra were fourteen weeks old now, but still were not the youngest in the room. They were crawling around the floor with Dominique and Fred, but Percy's newborn was still in his arms. He refused to put her down. Molly had been born just three weeks after the twins. Despite the fact that she had been born healthy and on time, Percy was incredibly protective of her. His wife, Audrey, didn't mind his protectiveness. It helped her catch a little more sleep.

Teddy, the eldest of all the kids and an unofficial member of the Weasley family, was happy to be watching over the younger kids.

"Lyra," Teddy said as he walked over to her and gently tugged at her arm, "No tugging on Dom's hair. She doesn't like that." This was an understatement, as Dominique had started sobbing. Lyra was laughing at her.

"Be nice to my sister!" Victoire said irritably as she wrapped her arms around Dominique. At five years old, Victoire had already begun to be protective of her little sister. She smacked at Lyra's tiny hand and Teddy shook his head, "Hey, she doesn't know much better. She's just a baby."

"Then why is she laughing?"

Teddy looked down at Lyra as he held his arms around her to keep her away from Dominique. Lyra looked up at him with a wide grin. He couldn't help but giggle, "Okay she might actually know better."

"She's mean," Victoire said harshly, glaring at Lyra.

"That's not true. Lyra, say you're sorry to Dom."

"She can't say 'I'm sorry' yet, she's too little!" Victoire pointed out.

Teddy hummed in thought and crouched behind Lyra who was sitting on the blanket. He hid himself behind the baby and held her wrists, gesturing with them as he spoke in a high pitched voice, "I'm sorry, Dominique. I love you. I didn't mean to hurt you! I'll try not to pull your hair again, okay?"

Victoire giggled as Dominique became distracted by a toy on the floor. She crawled away toward it as Victoire continued to laugh at Teddy's antics. Lyra squirmed away from Teddy and crawled over to Fred instead. She tugged on his curly black hair. It seemed to be her strange method of greeting other kids. Unlike Dominique, however, Freddie did not seem distraught. He just turned and looked at her and waved, "Hi!" Lyra smiled and tugged his hair again. Fred just laughed and pulled her hand off his curly hair.

Victoire was no longer paying any attention to her sister and was now playing her usual game with Teddy, "Can you still do a duck?"

"You always ask for a duck, never anything new."

"Because I like ducks. Do a duck," Victoire insisted as she crossed her arms.

Teddy sighed but did as she asked, transforming his mouth into a duckbill and even giving himself a few feathers. He quacked loudly and she burst into a laugh.

George glanced over at the giggling children as he stuffed his fifth cupcake in his mouth. His wife gave him a quick glance from across the room, silently warning him not to have another cupcake before turning her attention back to the kids. He knew she wouldn't actually get mad at him for eating another, but he also knew he shouldn't be so greedy and eat all of them himself. He dusted some spare crumbs off his front and meandered over to his brothers. Bill, Ron, and Harry were all talking together in a corner. Percy was still sitting anxiously with his newborn in his arms, unwilling to put her down or socialize with anyone. Draco was keeping an eye on Lily, paralleling the parental precautions of Percy.

"Hey Ron, can I have a word?" George asked politely.

Ron agreed and pulled away from his group. Bill and Harry didn't seem bothered by Ron's departure and continued on chatting.

George lead Ron over into the kitchen, away from the rest of their family and the noise of the party. "So, what have you been trying to tell me?" Ron asked curiously.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, but I wasn't sure when or how to go about asking you," George started. Ron didn't interrupt, he waited patiently for his brother to spit it out. "I was wondering if you'd like to come and work with me in the shop."

Ron's eyebrows shot up momentarily in surprise, his eyes widened. He glanced away. He wasn't sure how to respond. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had been operating at half capacity for the past three years. George had insisted on keeping it open after Fred died, and though he had struggled with maintaining composure at times while on the job, he persevered nonetheless. However, when he had run into Alicia Spinnet at the turn of the century, he became a bit distracted. Starting in 2003, the year that the two of them finally got married, he had reduced the hours of the shop and how much he needed to be there. He kept it open just long enough to make good money. But especially since Fred's birth, he had barely been there. This past year he had only been open in the fall and during the holiday season, for any students coming through Diagon Alley. It had been enough to tide his family over financially, and that was all he had needed. But now he was longing for a career again. He hadn't invented anything new in ages. He just hadn't had time. But if he had Ron to help him run the shop, he could spend more of his time focusing on new products instead of just keeping the shop in working order.

"It wouldn't have to be full time to start," George added nervously, worried his brother was about to turn his offer down, "You could still work in the ministry and just work nights or weekends with me. I just need someone to help me get my footing again with the shop."

"Y'know," Ron said with a sigh as he looked back at his brother, "I was always envious of your job there. It seems like it would be loads of fun."

"It's loads of work too, it isn't just fun and games. A business isn't as easy to run as it may appear. But I can show you the ins and outs of the trade, if you were interested. But that might only be relevant if you were willing to work full time with me."

"Who's been helping you out the past few years?" Ron asked.

"A few part time people here and there. Nobody special, nobody brilliant."

"I'm not brilliant, or special," Ron stated bluntly

"I'm not asking you to be special. But I know you're brilliant. I think you could pick up on a lot of the know how quite quickly. It's certainly more straightforward than the stuff we had to learn in school."

"In a perfect world, what would you have me doing at the shop?"

"If I'm being honest," George admitted as he crossed his arms, "I would have you working full time to manage the accounting and inventory, the business side. Meanwhile, I could be creating new products and working on advertising. That's how we used to do it. Fred was always best with the numbers."

Ron nodded slowly and seemed to be considering it thoughtfully.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now. You can send me an owl later."

"No, that won't be necessary," Ron said simply.

"Why's that?"

"Because I already know my decision. I'm going to come and work with you. Full time."

George was astounded. He hadn't expected it to be such an easy sell. He grinned from ear to ear, though he was still cautious, "Are you sure? You don't have to agree for my sake."

"It's the best option for me, plain and simple. Hermione's going to have the baby soon enough, and I don't fancy risking my life as an auror anymore. I was going to ask for a department transfer soon anyway. But there's really no other department in the ministry I would want to work in. Chances are I would have ended up in some boring desk job. Working with you is in my best interest. I get to have a stable job with steady pay without jeopardizing my life every day, and I get to help my brother."

George reached out and hugged his brother close. He had failed to notice in the past few years that they were the exact same height now. For a second, George thought he was holding his twin again. But he snapped out of it with ease, as he always did, "Thank you, Ron. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, anything for my big brothers."

When they headed back to join the party they realized that one big brother was gone. Molly quietly informed them that Percy had gotten too afraid of germs and had gone home with Audrey and the baby. They weren't remotely surprised.

"Please tell me you won't be as protective when the baby's born," Hermione murmured as Ron sat down beside her. All the women had gotten a chance to give her parenting and pregnancy advice, so she finally was sitting by her lonesome on the loveseat.

"Of course I'll be protective," Ron said, "That's only instinct isn't it?"

"Yes, but not that nutty. Be like Draco, not like Percy."

"That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear you say," Ron cracked a grin as Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

He put an arm around her and she nuzzled into him easily. They watched the kids milling about as Alicia and Draco tried to keep them within sight. Teddy was getting mad at Victoire for her repeatedly asking him to turn into a duck, and their childish shouting was causing Dominique to cry. Meanwhile, Draco was constantly interfering when Lily got too close to anything potentially dangerous.

"I wonder how our kid will work into the mix," Hermione murmured curiously. "Do you think the kids will all like each other? Or do you think they'll have rivalries?"

"A little of both, like any family."

"Just think," Hermione smiled, "By Christmas time the baby will be with us. They'll have their own spot at the dinner table. You know, I figured the math out and our baby will go to Hogwarts the same year as the twins."

Ron laughed, "It's almost like we planned it that way. We'll get to go to King's Cross with Harry, just like we always have."

Hermione looked up at Ron and smiled at the thought of walking with him and their child onto the platform. Her heart seemed to flutter in her chest.

Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped in shock. Ron was immediately on alert, sitting up straight, "What's the matter?"

She grabbed his free hand and yanked it over toward her, placing his palm on her stomach. His eyes widened as well, matching her own.

"Is that…?"

"Yes. The baby's kicking," Hermione murmured as she started to tear up. Normally she would never be quite so emotional, but she couldn't help herself. The reality of her pregnancy had been hard to accept, and she had been coming to terms with it slowly but surely. But now that she could feel it moving and kicking its feet, she was thrilled. She knew that soon she would hold their child in her arms and she couldn't have been happier. Molly had spotted the sudden excitement and had rushed over to make sure that Hermione was okay. In turn, everyone in the family came over and was excited to see if they could feel the baby kick. But as soon as the baby had started to stir, they seemed to stop. Most of them were quite irritated at not getting a chance to feel the baby kicking, but none quite as much as Harry.

"I never got to feel my own children kick, we hardly saw their mum when she was pregnant. I thought I would at least to get to have vicarious joy with Hermione's baby," Harry whined to Draco.

Draco patted his husband's back, "You've got four months left. You might get your chance if you're lucky."

Molly chimed in, "You know, they're more likely to kick if you eat or lay down."

Draco caught the look of intrigue on his husband's face and smiled toward Ron, "So don't be surprised if he suddenly comes over with an offering of food."

Ron shrugged as he grabbed one of the last cupcakes, "I mean, I'll never say no to food."

The family couldn't help but laugh at this, knowing just how true it was. The whole Weasley clan was gluttonous because of Molly's massive portions.

Shortly thereafter, the kids began to get restless and needed their naps. Draco and Harry headed home to put the twins down for their afternoon nap. Bill and Fleur took their daughters home shortly thereafter. The rest planned to stay longer, but Freddie began to get fussy as well. To give them space to put him to bed, the rest of the family left one by one. Alicia bid them each goodbye as George picked up their son and brought him upstairs.

Freddie whimpered and whined in his arms, grumpy from having been stimulated for hours on end. George patted his tiny back gently as he headed up the stairs, "I know, I know. It's really exhausting to spend time with family sometimes, isn't it?" Freddie continued to cry against his dad's shoulder. George hummed a soft tune in the back of his throat as he walked around the nursery. He sat down in the rocking chair that had been passed through the family for years. Despite the fact that Freddie was not the first Weasley grandchild, George had still been given it. Principally because he was more attached to it than the rest of his siblings. It was where he and his brother had spent their first several months of life in their mother's arms. It was the first physical item they had shared together. So he had asked politely for it when he found out his wife was pregnant with his son.

He put Freddie in his arms and slowly rocked back and forth in the chair as he hummed a tune that his mother had sung to all of her children. It was an old witch's lullaby that had been passed down for timeless generations. After the second time through the lullaby, Freddie had calmed down and was no longer crying. He stared up at his dad curiously, listening to the rhyme for a third time before his eyes fluttered shut and he started to drift into a sleep. George carefully stood and put Freddie down in the crib. He leaned over and kissed his son's forehead, "I love you Freddie, sleep tight. Say hello to your uncle for me while you're in dreamland."


	7. The Wedding

April 15th, 2006

A gentle knock woke Hermione from a blissful dream state. She grumbled to herself and rolled over in bed. She meant to roll onto her stomach, but the protruding belly made this impossible. She groaned and rolled onto her back, slowly opening her eyes. Sunlight was filtering through the thin curtain across the window. The knock sounded again and a muffled voice spoke, but she could not make out the voice or the words.

"Come in," She murmured before yawning and stretching her arms wide.

To her surprise, Fleur entered the room. For a moment, Hermione had forgotten where she was and why. She slowly sat up in bed and glanced out the window. Outside in the yard she could just make out the preparations that were being made behind the Burrow. Fleur sat down on the edge of Hermione's small twin bed, "How are you feeling?"

Hermione rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, "Tired."

"Today's the day, are you nervous?"

Hermione looked down at her left hand, at the small engagement ring resting there. It had been close to a year since his proposal. They had been planning here and there, but Molly had insisted on taking charge of most of the affairs. She had reasoned that a pregnant woman was stressed enough without adding a wedding into the mix. Hermione had been quite grateful for this, and had merely given input without having to do the hard work of arranging the whole day.

"I don't think so," Hermione finally answered Fleur. "Were you?"

"To tell ze truth," Fleur said, "Everyone's a little nervous. I was anxious, but we were also in a middle of a war."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, at least we won't need to worry about that."

"Non," Fleur assured her, "Molly will see to it that everything goes smoothly. As will I."

"Fleur," Hermione started shyly, "I don't mean to sound rude, but why do you care whether or not my wedding goes as planned?"

Fleur glanced out the window and smiled to herself before looking back at Hermione, "Because ze way I see it, we're sisters as of today. Sisters do everything they can for each other. I will do the same for Gabrielle when she gets married."

Hermione had always dreamt of having a sister. She had been excited at the prospect of welcoming Ginny as a sister, but had not considered that Fleur, Alicia, or Audrey would be a part of her family now as well. She was struck with an immense sense of gratitude. This marriage was offering her more than just the love of her life, but the family she always wanted.

"Thank you, Fleur. That's very kind of you."

"I try," She shrugged, "Now, the wedding iz just a few hours away, but it's going to take some time to get you ready. We should get going soon. Are you ready?"

Hermione rubbed the last of her exhaustion from her eyes and stood up. She stretched her muscles as she held her arms up above her head. She let out a sigh and looked back at Fleur, "Yes, I'm ready."

…

Neville and Hannah sat side by side in the second row of chairs. The Weasley and Granger families took up the entire first row on their own. Hannah and Neville were not the only ones in the crowd holding infants, but they certainly were the only ones holding someone else's children in their arms. Lily was snoozing quietly on Hannah's shoulder while Neville was trying not to laugh as Lyra kept touching his face.

"It must be the beard," Neville said.

"For the last time," Hannah said with a bemused smile, "It's not a beard if it can't be measured. It's just scruff."

Neville laughed and rolled his eyes. They had had an ongoing debate over what to call his growing facial hair. He found it easier to say the line of hair growing along his jaw was a beard. She insisted it wasn't a beard until someone could measure it or grab hold of it. She argued it was really short mutton chops.

"But yes," Hannah continued, "It probably is the facial hair she's fascinated by. It's not like either of her dads have it, do they?" Hannah looked over at Lyra and smiled, "It feels weird, doesn't it? I know. Imagine kissing him every day. It's always difficult to avoid impaling myself on those spiky little hairs." Lyra just kept petting Neville's face, making them both laugh.

The ambient music playing around them suddenly slowed down, causing a change in the garden's atmosphere. Sure enough, the bridal party appeared down the aisle. To absolutely nobody's discomfort, Harry escorted Ginny down the aisle as best man and bridesmaid. They were shortly followed by Luna and Draco, who were almost blindly pale when they stood side by side in the spring sunlight. The pairs split and went off to either side of the altar.

Unlike Bill and Fleur's wedding, they had opted to marry in the garden itself rather than in a tent in the back orchard. The garden had been thoroughly degnomed that morning and Percy and George had been assigned to charm the beasts if they tried to reappear. The altar itself was nothing more than a rounded, dark wood frame overflowing with cherry blossoms. It was a stunning sight, but the crowd was easily distracted from it by the sound of the wedding march.

Ron emerged first with his mother on his arm. He was the last of her sons to be married, and the emotion of the moment showed on her face. She beamed with pride as she led her son down the aisle to the altar. When Ron made it to the altar the music shifted into Fur Elise. Everyone turned back and saw Hermione walking up to them from the Burrow, her father walking proudly beside her.

Neville was amazed. He had remembered Hermione stunning the whole of Hogwarts with her beauty during the Yule Ball. This appearance blew that silly, frilly teen dress out of the water. Her hair was in its natural form, only being slightly pinned back to keep it out of her eyes. The dress suited her style with a delicate tulle skirt and lace sleeves. It managed to both highlight and downplay the size of her pregnant stomach. Neville turned his attention back to Ron. He was a man transfixed. Neville smiled to himself. He knew right then that this was not a trivial marriage, one destined to fail. He could tell from the way Ron looked at her that he was utterly in love, and he always would be.

As the couple recited their wedding vows, Neville couldn't help but watch his fiancee. Their own wedding was fast approaching with only four months left to plan it all. It would be nothing like Ron and Hermione's wedding, but he couldn't help but be somewhat inspired by the romance of the occasion. Hannah noticed his gaze and smiled, knowing just what he was thinking without having to say a word. She was no legilimens of course, she had just been with Neville long enough to recognize his facial expressions. He always looked drowsy and dazed when he was thinking romantic things. It was one of the many odd quirks about him that she admired.

Neville and Hannah were not the only couple in attendance that were imagining their own upcoming weddings. Dean and Seamus were due to be married in just two months. Ginny was due to marry Terry Boot in a year, having just gotten engaged a few months ago over the winter holiday. This had come as a surprise to no one. Ginny had been fortunate enough to be set up on a date with Terry shortly after she reconciled things with Harry. While it had been wonderful, neither had been ready to form a commitment yet. The two lovebirds had danced around each other for a year before finally realizing how they truly felt. They had fallen hard and had alarmed Mrs. Weasley with the speed in which their relationship had grown: moving in together within three months of being official, getting engaged just a year and a half after they started dating, and due to be married just months before their third year anniversary.

While everyone around them seemed to be preoccupied with their own relationships (or in some cases, lack thereof), Ron and Hermione saw nothing but each other. They were conscious on another level of their loved ones watching on, but were generally unaware of them. The only thing that was distracting Hermione as she gave her vows was an occasional kick or squirm from the baby.

"It may have taken us awhile to realize just how much we mean to one another, but I'm so grateful that we did. I don't know how I could have gotten through everything without you. As your wife, I vow to not only love and cherish you but to remind you to love and cherish yourself. You are so much more brilliant than you're ever given credit for. It took me too long to notice it myself, and I won't be taking it for granted again." She paused to collect herself, trying in vain to ignore the kicks of her child, "Ron, you are my rock. When the rest of the world has been chaos, I have been able to rely on you to be there for me. We weren't without our trials and our hardships of course, but we were made stronger because of them. I know that we will have plenty more challenges to go through, namely raising this child together, but I know that we can get through it. Ron Weasley, I will love you through thick and thin."

She placed a ring upon his hand as she finished, "This I vow to you."

Ron was trying his hardest not to get emotional. He had been trying hard all day not to lose it. He was so overjoyed with marrying the love of his life that it seemed he would burst at the seams. But he managed to keep himself together long enough to say his own vows.

"Hermione … you were not the only one taking things for granted. The only regret I have in my life is not noticing how I felt for you sooner. Those were years we could have been together, more digits to tack onto our lifetime together. But even if we were not in love just yet, at least I was able to call you my friend. Not a lot of people can say that they married their best friend. I'm blessed to be able to say that today I am. You have been the light guiding me through everything, whether I knew it or not. I don't have a clue where I would be without you, Hermione. You have been my source of admiration and inspiration for years, and I cannot wait to see what you grow to become and how we will change together. I really do feel like the luckiest man alive today. Not only am I devoting myself to you, but to our child. It is my privilege to be able to honor and care for the two of you for the rest of my life."

He carefully put the ring onto her left hand, "This I vow to you."

Charlie stood misty eyed behind them as their officiant. He had insisted upon it, not allowing any other family or friend to take the roll. He apparently had always wanted to wed one of his baby siblings, and Bill had already decided on marrying Ginny off. Charlie blinked hard, keeping his tears just barely at bay as he simply said, "With the vows exchanged that leaves just one last item. Ron," He turned to his brother and smiled. He saw, for a moment, the small infant that his mother had handed to him when he was a boy. His baby brother was all grown up now, something that had taken him awhile to fully recognize. "You may kiss your bride."

Ron and Hermione met in the middle and kissed for several seconds as their family began cheering and applauding in delight. There was not a dry eye left in the audience or their bridal party by the time they pulled apart.

...

Molly was just sitting down with her second slice of cake (that she was entirely justified in eating, as she had made it) when Bill walked over to her and held out a child, "Your turn, mum," He said. Without batting an eyelash, she put her fork down and held the child. But it was not Bill's daughter, it was little Molly. She turned and looked at Bill who was walking away, "Where's Percy?"

"Enjoying his liberation," Bill called back as he continued walking back toward the clearing in the yard where everyone was dancing. Molly watched from a distance as he tapped on Charlie's shoulder and took his wife back as his dancing partner. Charlie was rotating through everyone's spouses and having a grand time getting to know them. Fleur and Charlie were becoming fast friends, which nobody could quite understand.

Arthur sat down beside Molly with a small glass of butterbeer in his hand. He spotted Molly with the baby and smiled, "On baby duty I see?"

"Aren't I always?" She chuckled as she looked down at her granddaughter. While she wasn't her first grandchild, she did have a soft spot for young Molly. How could she not? Her son that had struggled the most with his loyalties had named his firstborn after her. She was honored and humbled by the little girl. Baby Molly was surprisingly calm despite the party going on all around them. With the entire Weasley clan gathered, it was bound to last well into the morning hours.

As Arthur was just taking a sip of his butterbeer, another red headed son sidled up to him and plopped a baby in his lap.

"Thanks, dad!" George called as he ran off to go and drink with his wife.

Arthur frowned slightly as he looked down at Freddie, "Nobody wants to parent babies tonight, do they Freddie?"

Freddie reached out and pulled Arthur's glasses off the end of his nose. Arthur just smiled and let his grandson toy with his glasses. He could always clean them later.

Molly exchanged a look with Arthur and smiled warmly, "I figure we owe them a night of fun, don't we? That's the nice part about being a grandparent. Less responsibility. It doesn't matter if we have to watch them for a minute or two, we don't have to deal with them around the clock anymore."

"It's nice to have a quiet house again. I had forgotten what it was like. But it's nice to have the young ones over now and again. How many do you think we'll have in the end?"

"A dozen at least," Molly said with great confidence.

Arthur laughed, "Oh, no, less than that I think."

"No, more than a dozen if you count Harry's kids."

"Harry won't have any more," Arthur argued, "Too difficult."

"How about this," Molly smiled, "I'll bet you treacle tart that we have more than a dozen grandchildren by the time they're done."

"Deal," He agreed just as he managed to take his glasses out of Freddie's mouth.

"Oh let me see her!" Ginny cooed excitedly. She had just been coming back to sit at the bridal party's table and noticed Draco holding Lily. Up until now the girls had been rotated around the various family members, Draco had just taken Lily back from Alicia and couldn't help but resent the fact that Ginny wanted to hold her now. He turned to Harry, who sat beside him with Lyra, and murmured, "Give her Lyra, I wanna hold Lily longer."

Harry smirked to himself but stood and offered Ginny the other twin. She happily took the baby in her arms and looked down at her, "Oh, aren't you a precious little thing? Look at that gorgeous smile you've got! Has anyone told you how stunning you look today my dear? No? Well let me be the first to say you are just a vision."

Lyra giggled at the ridiculous facial expressions that Ginny was making with her over exaggerated baby talk. Harry and Draco both found it somewhat nauseating, but they also knew how easy it was to slip into baby speak without noticing it.

Hermione and Ron quietly rejoined the table. It was obvious that Hermione had grown tired and needed a rest from dancing and had made Ron join her. She kept a hand on her swollen stomach, sore and tired from the extra weight she was carrying around.

Ginny kissed Lyra's forehead and laughed, "You are so freaking cute. I'm not letting anyone else get to you tonight, no I'm not."

"You can't stake claim on her, Gin," Ron reminded her gently.

She looked slightly irked and cast her brother a withering look before turning her attention back to the baby, "Well, that might be the case. Maybe Terry and I will have our own to coo over and — "

"Ginny!" Ron said sharply, "Cool it, would you? You're giving the family whiplash as it is. Don't go having a baby so quickly."

"Oh, who are you to judge? You couldn't even wait to be married first," She snapped back.

"Do you think it's fun being this heavily pregnant on your wedding day?" Hermione said with an edge. Ginny's cheeks flushed pink and she looked back down at Lyra and quietly watched her for a moment before asking innocently, "Are babies really so difficult?"

"Screaming like a banshee for three hours for absolutely no reason, that's our daughter," Harry said.

"You don't get it because you're the baby of the family," Ron said, "But the rest of us had to deal with a baby at some point or another. Charlie is always going on about how you were the good baby that kept quiet and I was the fussy one causing mayhem. Babies aren't exactly a walk in the park. They're worth it, and if you're raising them with the right person it's not as hard. Look at our parents, do you think it was easy or fun all the time raising seven children? Of course not, but they love each other like mad, so it was easier to handle."

Ginny smiled slightly, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But how do you know if the person you're with is the right person to raise a family with?"

Suddenly Ginny was their little sister all over again, looking for advice from her older married brothers. Harry was just about to say something sage and sweet when Ron said bluntly, "Well for starters you can ask whether or not they want kids."

"Ronald Weasley, what are you insinuating?" Hermione said harshly.

"Come off it, you know I don't mean us. You know how badly I wanted this baby," He reminded her gently. Her expression softened and she settled down. Her hormones had been particularly haywire lately, and had caused her to think impossible things from time to time. "All I'm saying is that that's the first step. Do you know if Terry wants kids?"

She glanced away without reply.

Ron held his hands out, "Well, there you have it. You don't know until you ask."

"But there's got to be more to it than having a mutual interest in having children."

"There is," Harry added, "If you haven't endured real hardship together and seen the other at their worst, then you aren't ready. If you can love someone through their darkest days, you can handle the ups and downs of parenting together."

"We haven't really had a lot of problems, except for the year we weren't together. But that wasn't really the same thing. We've yet to argue. But I thought fights were a bad thing?"

"All couples fight. It's the nature of the arguments and spats that shows whether or not the relationship is healthy or not. If you're always bickering over foolish things, then things might not work out very well. But it also might not be a good sign if you avoid conflict at all costs, that could mean there's building resentment," said Hermione.

Lyra started fussing and squirming in Ginny's arms just then. She started to tear up and cry, though not very loudly. Still, Ginny looked panicked. She had of course been around crying children before, but never had one burst into tears in her arms.

Harry rescued her and took his daughter out of her arms, "She's just hungry."

He sat down in his seat and picked a bottle out from the bag that rested against his chair. He cradled his baby in his arms and held the bottle for her. It was second nature for him now.

Ginny smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, maybe I'm not quite ready for kids just yet."

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Hermione kindly, "You also don't have to have children, you have all the choice in the world."

Ginny agreed, though she knew she would have kids someday. But today was obviously not the day for that. So instead of dilly dallying anymore with the parents and parents-to-be she left to find Terry.

Lily had fallen asleep in Draco's arms and his muscles were beginning to ache, but he made no note of it. He would endure it for his daughter. He could handle any kind of pain, mild or extreme and anywhere in between, if it meant his daughter was safe and happy. But it wasn't long before Harry asked to go out and have another dance.

"Ron, 'Mione, would you mind watching the girls for us?" Harry asked as he was standing up and handing Lyra over to Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes slightly at the lack of choice, but took Lyra anyway. He figured it was good practice for when their baby was born. Hermione quietly transfigured one of the empty chairs into a small bassinet and let Draco put the sleeping twin down in it.

"I'll keep my eye on her, you two go have fun while I rest my incredibly swollen feet."

Draco tried not to laugh as he left his daughters in the care of his best friends. Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him away toward the crowd of dancing witches and wizards.

Hermione glanced from Lily to Ron and smiled to herself. He had propped his knees up against the table so that Lyra could look up at him. He was making faces at her, making her to giggle. Hermione beamed, thrilled for when he could do that with their child. He finally seemed to sense her eyes on him and looked up.

His cheeks grew a bit red and he smiled shyly, "I just like making her smile."

"I'm not judging you, Ron. I'm imagining you doing that with our baby."

He looked fondly at his new wife, but his smile wavered slightly, "Do you think we're ready for the hard stuff?"

Hermione laughed gently, "We helped Harry kill off horcruxes and nearly died a couple dozen times. I think we can handle a lot of dirty diapers and crying at three in the morning."

Draco found himself finally relaxing for the first time all night. Harry kept him inappropriately close as they danced to some obnoxious pop tune that Harry knew Hermione had gotten from the muggle world. If he had a propensity for muggle rock, Hermione had a strong leaning toward popular music. The whole crowd mostly consisted of Ron's younger cousins and their friends. Draco was far less shy about being overly flirtatious with his husband in this setting. It wasn't dangerous here like it was in the muggle world, and it wasn't uncomfortable like it would have been at their own wedding. He had been far too shy to do such a thing in front of his parents. But in front of a bunch of people he didn't know and a few friends mixed in the bunch? Not a problem.

He couldn't help but notice that Dean and Seamus were unabashed as well, grinding against each other just a few meters from where they were. While Harry and Draco were not quite so bold, they did stay incredibly close together. Their bodies were not separated for quite some time. It had been a long time since they could be this close without being interrupted by the sound of a crying child. They were relishing in this momentary freedom to just be husbands again. Sure, they were still dads, but their children were not demanding their attention. It was nice to take a break from them once in awhile and remember how mad they were for each other from time to time.

Harry turned to face Draco, wrapping an arm around his waist and leaned up to kiss him. Nobody around them seemed to notice. Just as their lips touched, however, Harry felt a tug on his pant leg. He pulled away from his husband and looked down to see Teddy looking up at him.

"Yeah, Teddy?"

"What are you doing to my cousin?"

Harry's cheeks turned bright red, "Uh, nothing. I'm just showing him how much I love him. That's all. That's what spouses do."

"What's a spouse?" Teddy asked curiously.

Harry glanced around at the crowd around them. He knelt and picked Teddy up with a good deal of effort and brought them out of the crowd and sat down at an empty table. Draco followed shortly behind.

"Well, you remember when Draco and I had a wedding like this?" He asked his godson.

Teddy nodded, "Yeah, I remember."

"That day we became husbands. A spouse is a husband or a wife. The person to whom you're married, that you're committed to. Your cousin is my husband, and I'm his husband. Does that make sense?"

Teddy thought of this for a moment before nodding steadily, "But I have one question."

"What's that?"

"If you're my godfather and he's my cousin does that make Lily and Lyra my godsisters or my cousins?"

Harry did his best to not laugh while Draco was snickering behind his hand. Harry smiled sweetly to his godson, "They're just your cousins."

"Ohhh, okay."

"Now, was there something you needed? Why did you need to get my attention in the first place?" Harry asked.

"I just wanted to tell you that Dominique said her first word! She said 'no'!" Teddy was practically bouncing in his seat as he told Harry.

Harry let out a sigh through his nostrils, "Any reason you felt like we needed to know?"

"Victoire told me to tell everyone, so I wanted to tell you first thing."

Harry ruffled his already messed up hair, "Well, consider us informed. Go ahead and tell the rest of the family, okay?"

Teddy ran off with a burst of energy just as Harry turned back to his husband. Draco was full on laughing now.

"It's not funny," Harry sighed as he leaned back in his seat.

"Yes it is."

"We are always being interrupted by kids at the worst possible time," Harry moaned.

"Yeah, but we're kid free now aren't we? We can always resume our activities," Draco insinuated as he leaned closer to Harry with a wicked grin.

"You kiss me and a child will appear like magic."

"Well, only way to test that theory," Draco shrugged before kissing Harry gently. For a few blissful minutes they sat close together and let the rest of the world melt away. It was indeed a child that interrupted them, though indirectly. From a few tables over they heard a small cry of a baby and they both popped up immediately. They were so hardwired to respond to a baby's cry that they didn't even realize it wasn't their own child crying, it was just Freddie getting tired a few tables over in Arthur's arms.

Harry looked at his husband and they both smiled awkwardly, slightly embarrassed by their response to the child's cry.

"Well," Harry said, "They might not be even a year old yet, but I think they already have us wrapped around their fingers."

"No shit," Draco sighed as he stood. He offered his hand to Harry and pulled him up to his feet, "Oh well, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm guessing they're both asleep now. Ready to head home?"

Harry nodded as he started to yawn. Sure enough, Lyra was sound asleep in Ron's lap and Lily was still snoozing in the bassinet. They hugged their newly married friends and wished them the best of luck before taking their children off their hands and heading home.


	8. Snapshots

September 5th 2009

Draco and Harry were sitting on the stoop of their house, each with a daughter standing in front of them. It had taken a while to get them out of the door that morning, but Draco and Harry had both made sure to get an early start to the day. They were not going to be responsible for their kids missing the first day of school because they missed the taxi.

The girls were not starting primary school just yet, but they were heading to their first day of preschool. This was the first Harry and Draco were really going to be separated from their daughters in the nearly four years since they had been born. Their careers had not even interfered with their raising of the girls. Draco had taken a smaller position at St. Mungo's while Harry had quit his job as an auror six months after they were born. He had decided it wasn't worth the risk anymore, and they had no need for the money. Draco had too much love for his position to completely leave it, though he only worked part time now. With the kids going to preschool during the day now, Draco would be increasing his hours at Mungo's. Harry, meanwhile, was still unsure of what he was going to do while the girls were gone.

"Promise me you'll behave," Harry said as he tucked Lyra's shirt in for a third time. She kept deliberately untucking it. He didn't know why he bothered. The minute she got to school she would untuck it again.

"I pwomise daddy," She said with a huff.

"What do you do if another kid wants to play with you?"

"I let them," She sighed.

"If they want to play with your toys?"

She let out a dramatic sigh and stomped her foot, "I let them play with my toys."

"That's my girl," Harry said proudly, kissing her forehead.

She pretended to wipe the kiss off her forehead like she always did, but she secretly loved the attention she got from her dad.

"Are you nervous?" Draco asked Lily gently.

Lily tugged at the sleeves of her blouse and looked down. She nodded but didn't say anything. Draco held his arms out and she quietly moved into his reach. He pulled her up into his lap and hugged her close, resting his chin on her auburn hair, "You're going to be just fine, Lily girl. What are you going to do if someone says something mean?"

"Ignore them."

Draco murmured under his breath, "And if Lyra tugs your hair or takes your toy?"

"Ask her to stop."

"That's my girl. I know you'll be just fine," He kissed her cheek and let her down, "Daddy and I will pick you up later, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

The yellow taxi that picked up for the daycare turned around the corner and pulled up to their curb. Draco and Harry stood, taking their daughters' hands and leading them up to the car as the driver got out and held the door open. A few car seats waited for them in the back.

"Thank you, we can put them in," Harry dismissed the driver politely. He scooped Lyra up and looked at her, "You be good to your sister, okay?"

"Okay daddy," Lyra shrugged without interest.

"Can I get a hug before you go off to school and leave daddy behind to twiddle his thumbs all day?" Harry asked kindly.

Lyra grinned and threw her arms around his neck and made a loud noise as she squished herself close to him.

"I love you my Lyra,"

"I love you too Daddy!" Lyra said happily before Harry put her in the car seat.

Draco had picked up Lily and walked around to the other side of the cab. Lily was frowning and shaking her head as he opened the door.

"What's wrong Lily girl?"

"I don't wanna go," She whined and buried her face into her dad's shoulder.

He ran his hand against her back, "I know sweetheart, I know. But you'll be home before you know it. As soon as school is done you'll be back with us. I love you my girl."

"I love you daddy," She whimpered as she sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I gotta put you in the car now, honey, you gotta let go."

She slowly pulled away and looked at Draco. He wiped the tears off her cheeks and kissed each one before putting her into the car seat. He fastened her in and reminded her one last time that he loved her before shutting the door.

Draco returned to Harry's side, putting his arm around his waist as they waved goodbye through the window as the car pulled away. They stood there quietly for a moment as they watched the car pull out of sight.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Harry asked.

"I really hope so. But I know Lily's going to cry, probably a lot."

"Oh, I know she will. As long as we don't get a call insisting we pick her up because she's had a meltdown, I'll be relieved. The same for Lyra. I don't want to get a call saying she's given a kid a black eye because they looked at her funny."

Draco cracked, laughing hard for several moments before remembering his daughters were gone for the next several hours. He sighed and turned to Harry; they exchanged a look for a moment before Draco whimpered and wrapped his arms around Harry, holding him tight. They held each other for a good long moment, trying to calm themselves down. Harry was the first to speak, "It's a good thing you don't work today, huh?"

Draco nodded slowly, "We can just mope in the house all day until we pick them up."

Harry laughed, "We can't just sit around and be miserable all day. Only half the day."

"So we should just get the moping out of the way now?" Draco asked softly.

"Yes," Harry let go of Draco and took his hand and lead him back into the house. They headed straight back upstairs and into their bedroom. As usual, they hadn't bothered to make the bed. They crawled back under the covers and Harry wrapped himself around his husband. While they were both struggling with saying goodbye to their daughters for the first time, he knew that it was Draco who was having the hardest time. They lay there, hardly talking, for a couple hours. Every once in a while one of them would drift asleep and the other would have to nudge them awake. Finally, about mid afternoon Harry made the executive decision that it was time to stop being sad and get to living.

"They're going to need to see their dads with a stiff upper lip. They can't know how upset we were to see them go," Harry reasoned as they climbed back out of bed.

"You're right, you're right," Draco sighed as they headed downstairs.

Sure enough, they were able to pull themselves together by the time they went to pick up the girls. They waited out in front of the school, leaning against the car at the curb, watching the front doors patiently. Without saying a word, Harry reached out and took Draco's hand in his. A bell rang and a few adults opened the front doors and monitored the stream of small children walking out. Their eyes darted over the crowd of kids, looking for their girls.

Several other parents lined the sidewalk and picked up their children as they surged forward into their caregivers' arms.

"There's Lyra!" Harry stood up straighter, spotting his dark haired daughter in the crowd. She looked up and spotted her dad and pushed her way through the crowd shouting at the top of her lungs, "Daddies!" They let go of each other's hands and both crouched down as she ran into their arms. They encircled her in their arms and she squealed with delight.

"How was your first day?" Harry asked at the same time as Draco chimed in, "Where's your sister?"

"Oh, she's in da office," Lyra waved off lazily.

Draco and Harry exchanged a look. Harry nodded as Draco raised a brow. Without needing to talk, Draco agreed to go and get her. Harry waited with Lyra, "What happened to your sister?"

"I dunno. Someone cut up her drawing."

"You didn't cut up her drawing did you?"

"No daddy."

"Do I need to remind you that I have special powers that let me know when you're lying?" Harry asked gently. Truthfully, he had no ability to read minds. But Harry still pretended that he could read minds with her, knowing that the belief of it was enough to scare her into confessing most of the time.

But Lyra stood her ground, "I'm not a fibber."

She rarely would hold her ground this long on a lie. He nodded slowly, believing her wholeheartedly. "When her drawing got torn up what did she do?"

"Duh, cry."

"And what did you do?"

Lyra looked away and didn't respond.

"Lyra," Harry said sternly.

She sighed and looked back at her dad, "Not'ing. I di'n't do not'ing."

Harry shook his head, "I'm disappointed in you, Lyra. You're supposed to support your sister and be there for her. How many times do we have to tell you?"

"I can't help it daddy. She's a crybaby. I hate it." Lyra pouted.

Harry shook his head, "I don't care if she's a crybaby. You still have to be there for her. When Mr. Squishy got ripped and you got upset, who tried to fix it?"

"Lily did."

"When you lost your toy broom who helped you calm down long enough to look for it?"

Lyra groaned, "Lily did."

"So, what are you going to do the next time your sister has her feelings hurt?"

Lyra shrugged.

"Well, here's a suggestion," Harry said plainly, "Start with a hug and then try to help however you can. Get tape to piece her drawing back together, or whatever the case may be."

"Fiiiine. Can we go home now?" She asked impatiently.

"As soon as daddy comes back with your sister, but I can buckle you in now if you like."

"Yes p'ease," She insisted.

Harry put her into the carseat and shut the door behind him just as Draco reappeared with Lily in his arms. Her face was buried in her dad's chest. Draco mouthed, "It's okay." Harry nodded as he approached them. Draco watched as Harry tucked Lily's hair behind her ear.

"Hi my girl," Harry murmured softly, "I heard you've had a rough day."

"Mhmm."

"I'm sorry honey bee, is there anything I can do to make it better?"

She hummed in thought for a moment before finally sitting up straight, "Ice cweam?"

Draco and Harry exchanged a look before both replying, "Sure."

She sniffed and smiled ever-so-slightly, "Thanks daddies." She leaned back against Draco's chest, clearly too spent to carry the conversation on any longer. Harry and Draco exchanged a small smile between themselves before getting Lily into the car and heading home

* * *

October 6th, 2009

"Daddies!" Lily and Lyra shouted as they burst through the front door that afternoon. Harry and Draco were absently reading side by side on the couch when they came through the front door. The girls launched themselves onto their dads, who both pretended that it hurt with pathetically fake groans of agony. The girls laughed loudly at this, as they always did.

It had been a month since they started preschool, and they had all finally found their rhythm and schedule. Draco worked a few hours while they were in school, coming home just twenty minutes before the kids were dropped off at home by the school. Harry spent most of his free time every day reading and writing. He had started to feel less educated than his husband and had started reading the muggle classics that he had never been taught. He struggled with them but had been keeping notes to keep track of everything. Hermione would be delighted when he saw her next and mentioned it. With everyone fretting about with their own families, it had become harder and harder to see each other. They usually only got a chance to catch up on the holidays. Thankfully, this meant he would see her and Ron no later than Christmas.

Every day the kids came home and would dive straight into their fathers and tell them all about their day. It was often the time of day where Harry and Draco smiled and laughed the most.

"Look what Jessie help me color today!" Lily said excitedly, pulling out a folded drawing from her adorably small backpack. She held it out to Draco who looked at it curiously. It was evident from the thick black outline beneath the horrendous scrawls of crayon and marker was supposed to be a recognizable character. But he had never seen it before.

"Oh I love it sweetheart," Draco said automatically.

"Y'know who it is daddy?"

"No, am I supposed to?"

"Jessie says all girls know Princess Belle. She was in a movie. Can we watch it?"

"Firstly," Draco clarified, "I'm not a girl, so that would explain why I did not know her. Secondly, what's this movie called?"

"No, no," Lyra interrupted from where she sat on Harry's lap, "I don't wanna watch Beauty and the Beast, I wanna watch Lion King!"

"We can watch both, probably," Harry said calmly. "Daddy and I will look into it and make sure they're appropriate for you to watch."

"Daddy, they're kids movies. My fwiend Beck told me about Lion King and it sounds soooo much cooler than Lily's silly movie."

"That's enough, Lyra," Harry warned, noticing Lily's smile fade into a frown, "Don't be mean. We'll watch both of them, okay? Should we go to the video store and watch them tonight?"

The girls sat up straight at this. Neither had hoped they would be so lucky as to watch these films tonight. They were eager to understand what their friends were talking about, to be able to talk about the characters as they drew them or played out scenes. "Yes p'ease!" Lily chimed in just as Lyra shouted, "LET'S GOOO!"

Draco and Harry both laughed and within an hour found themselves camped out on the living room floor. It had been a very long time since they had watched a film together. The girls had watched one of Harry's favorite childhood films, ET, earlier that year as their first film experience. It had traumatized Lily for a good month. She had been convinced that there were aliens everywhere. Since then, they had hesitated introducing them to any other films. But one look at the tapes at the rental store proved that the movies they so desperately wanted to watch were likely tame enough for them to handle.

Harry had insisted on buying a small television set shortly after they had purchased their house. It was a novelty from his childhood he sorely missed. Dudley usually hogged the five or six different televisions around 4 Privet Drive, but every once in awhile he got to watch something. He could get away with a film or two at Mrs. Figg's when she was feeling particularly bad for how Harry was being treated at home. Once in awhile he would be left alone while the Dursleys were gone and he could steal one of Dudley's VHS tapes and watch a bit at a time. Consequently, he had a deep love of film that he had not been able to indulge for most of his young life. So he had taught Draco what a television was and tried to explain what movies were. It had been tricky at first, but eventually he seemed to grasp the concept and enjoyed his first film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, immensely.

When they came home from the rental store, Lyra demanded they watch Lion King first. Lily, ever the team player, was perfectly okay with this. The two lay on their stomachs in front of the television, their heads propped up on their hands and a bowl of popcorn remaining fairly untouched in front of them. Harry took the opportunity to snap a photograph of the girls, knowing it would be a long time before they peacefully existed side by side again. Neither noticed the sound of the shutter, too entranced by the story unfolding on the small screen. He set it aside to develop later in the potion that allowed the photo to move.

He exchanged a smile with his husband. It was always a relief when the girls actually did well together. Since their birth they had been at odds. While Molly had told them that Fred and George had always needed to share a crib to stop crying, Harry found the opposite to be true with his twins. They had had a tendency to cry harder when they were next to their twin. They seemed destined to butt heads from the beginning.

Harry sat beside Draco, just behind the girls, and rested his head on his husband's shoulder. He hadn't expected much out of a film that had been recommended by a four year old, but he quickly found himself entranced with the story. Draco had to stop himself from laughing at Harry by the end of it. As Simba walked up pride rock at the end, Harry was crying profusely. Draco wrapped an arm around Harry and kissed his hair. He adored Harry, finding his reaction to a kids movie quite endearing.

Lily dutifully hit the rewind button on the VCR before turning around and asking her sister for a hug. Harry and Draco watched in shocked astonishment as the girls hugged each other willingly. Both had apparently been crying most of the film. Neither father had noticed as it had been largely silent tears. Lyra held her sister longer than either dad expected before letting go and wiping at her cheeks, "I hate tears. I don't want to cry."

"It's okay to cry, Lyra," Lily assured her. She turned and looked at Harry, "See? Daddy cried. It's okay to cry if daddy cries too."

Lyra looked over at her dad in disbelief and smiled weakly.

"It's true," Harry said, "It's okay to cry at things, even if they are happy things."

Draco cracked a grin and said to Lyra, "When your first word was 'dad' he immediately started sobbing."

Lyra giggled, relieved that she wasn't silly for getting emotional over an animated lion. She decided then and there that it was the best movie ever. Lily, however, felt the need to say, "I dunno, we haven' seen the next one yet. Maybe it's better."

"No, no movie is better," Lyra said fiercely as the movie popped out. She tucked it back in its case, "I just know Beauty and the Beast will not be gooder than Lion King."

Lily sighed as she put her movie pick in the VCR, "I wanna watch it."

"We can watch," Lyra relented, "But it won't be gooder."

"Lyra," Harry spoke in his dad tone. She glanced over her shoulder at him and sighed angrily. She had been officially warned. She laid down on the floor again as the next movie started up. She looked incredibly ambivalent for the first half of the film while Lily seemed to grow more and more entranced with it.

Harry didn't mind the movie, he thought it was gorgeous. He hadn't seen a lot of animated films as a kid. The artistry of both films impressed him. However, he found his eyes wandering away from the film more than once. He kept glancing at his daughters to make sure they were behaving, but he also kept casting a glance toward his husband. He noticed Draco was unable to take his eyes off the movie. Draco was utterly engrossed with the story, taking to it more than he had the other films. He found that by the end of the film both Lily and Draco were getting emotional. Draco was tearing up and his face had flushed red while Lily was full on sobbing on the floor. Lyra was quietly laughing at her sister. Harry was just grateful she wasn't outright mocking her.

When the credits began to roll, Lily turned and looked at Lyra with a big grin, "That was so good!"

Lyra shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. Lion King is still gooder."

"Both made me cry."

"This one didn' make me cry."

"But it was so sad! She thought he was asleep fowever!"

"I knew he would wake up."

Lily shook her head, "Maybe you didn't cry, but it was still good."

"Yeah, it was good. I guess."

Lily seemed to lose her interest in talking to her sister after that and went off to play with her dolls in the corner. Harry and Draco wondered if the girls would ever be as clothes as other twins were. They certainly hoped so. The constant head butting was driving them both insane.

* * *

November 14th, 2009

It was a mellow, laid back Saturday in the Potter-Malfoy household. It was cold outside, so the girls were staying inside to play. Harry was doing his best to keep Lyra occupied. She tended to get a bit destructive if left to her own devices for long. So, naturally, this meant getting her to practice on her toy broom. Lily, meanwhile, was playing quietly without supervision in her bedroom. She was always mild mannered and could be trusted to behave herself. Unlike Lyra, she could be left alone without any fear of her causing problems.

Lyra repeatedly zoomed past their bedroom, ignoring her sister as she followed her dad's drills. He would have her retrieve random items from around the house and bring them back to him in the dining room. After she had collected ten items he would make her return them to the right place. It was on one of these return routes to the upstairs office that Harry and Draco heard a loud wail come from upstairs. They both bolted up the stairs. On the landing they saw the toy racing broom discarded on the ground and heard Lyra yelling in her room.

The protective fathers rushed in and found quite the scene. Lily had apparently been in the middle of a tea party with some of her stuffed animals on the floor. Her plastic tea cups stood empty in front of her small army of stuffed animals. Lyra was standing just outside this circle and shouting at her twin who was sobbing hysterically, "Stop it Lily! You crying made me fall off my broom!"

Harry intervened and pulled Lyra gently out of the room, "Lyra, you're not helping." He knelt in the hall in front of her and checked for scrapes from her fall. She seemed injury free, just frustrated.

Draco crouched down next to Lily and quietly asked her why she was crying. Lily sniffled and her wails diminished into whimpers, "I w-w-was having tea with my teddies and Omelet said I was - I was - a big cry baby!"

Harry, hearing this easily from the hall turned to Lyra and frowned. She held up her hands, "It wasn't me! I went in after she started crying."

"Oh that wasn't very nice, Omelet," Draco said sternly toward the Humpty Dumpty plush that stared blankly at them from the floor. "Can you please apologize to Lily?" He asked the egg.

Lily cried louder, "He won't apo-wo-jiii—" Her word pittered out into a wailing cry.

Lyra groaned irritably, covering her ears, "I can't take it! Her crying is driving me nuts!" Harry was inclined to agree, but didn't say so. Lily was a sensitive child, but this seemed like a whole new level of ridiculousness. Harry knew Lyra would continue getting mad at her sister if they stayed there any longer. He scooped her up and brought her back downstairs, grabbing the broom on the way. She settled down pretty quickly once he had her back on the broom and zipping between the living room and kitchen.

Lily, meanwhile, was proving harder to soothe . "He said he doesn't want to apologize?"

"Y-yes! He called me a big fat crybaby and said he wouldn't take it back!"

"Omelet, that's very rude. I'm afraid you need a time out to think about what you've said," Draco reasoned. He stood and picked up the toy and put it on the top shelf of their rather large bookshelf. He told him off one last time, "You can come down when you have thought about what you've done and are ready to apologize."

He looked back at Lily as she was wiping away the last of her tears. She smiled up at her father, "Thank you daddy."

He knelt down in front of her and she immediately ran over to hug him tight. He kissed her cheek before letting her go. He looked down at her and smiled sadly, "You know, some people are like Omelet and say hurtful things to and about us without having a reason and without apologizing."

"They do?"

"All the time. But you know what I learned to do a long time ago?"

"No, what?"

"Just let the cruel words roll off you. Nobody can tell you who you are, you decide that for yourself. So when someone says something hurtful just remind yourself that they don't know you, that they are blind to how wonderful you truly are. It might also help to remember that even if mean people don't like you, your daddies will love you forever."

She smiled at this and hugged her dad once more before going back to her tea party. Draco started to stand so he could get back to reading through a case file, but Lily had other plans. "Do you wanna come to my tea party daddy?" He hesitated but when she looked at him with those puppy dog eyes he gave in and plopped down in Omelet's spot on the floor. Within an hour he had drank gallons of invisible tea and was wearing a princess crown.


	9. Christmas

December 25th, 2009

2:30 a.m.

Harry was standing on the roof of his house, carefully and delicately leaving marks in the snow that trailed across the roof under his daughters' bedroom window. When he would take a step he would brush the snow back to cover his own snow prints. He realized as he finished up his task that there was probably an easier way to do this. For example, magic may have been useful. He rolled his eyes at himself as he stood at the edge of the roof, quite a ways above the ground. He looked back at what few footprints he had missed. He pulled his wand out and quietly brushed them out of sight. He then turned and jumped down calmly from the roof, whispering under his breath, " _Arresto momentum_ ," before he could crash to the ground. The spell worked instantly and stopped him just short of the ground. After a brief pause, his feet plopped down in the snowy yard without a sound. He turned and headed through the sliding glass doors into the dining room, shivering a bit.

He found Draco in the living room, carefully dusting little footprints from the fireplace to the pine tree in the corner and then back to the fireplace. It looked as if snow had been tracked in the house, but it was just a little flour. They had never been this ambitious with their Christmas celebrations. The girls' first few Christmases were tame and modest, just a tree and a couple gifts. This year Draco had insisted would be the first year that they go all out. He had brainstormed almost all of the ideas himself and had enlisted Harry to help him out.

"Roof's all good?" Draco asked from his spot on the floor. He had placed one of his shoes on the floor and was sprinkling the flour around it.

"All set," Harry whispered. "Oh, the stockings?"

"Right, right, almost forgot. They're under a disillusionment charm in the closet."

Harry stepped over to the coat closet by the front door and muttered the incantation under his breath to reveal the stockings on the top shelf. He picked them up just as Draco whisper hissed at him, "No peeking in yours!" Harry smiled to himself and dutifully avoided taking a look into his stocking. He hung them up in front of the fireplace on the candy cane hooks that he had made earlier in the week. "As long as you don't peek into yours," Harry reminded him. They had agreed to only get each other one "pricier" gift for the holiday while the stockings were to be strictly small, less important items. Draco had a tendency to go a little over the top for any gift giving occasion, something that Harry was trying to curb. It was starting to make him look like a bad husband when he didn't get such well thought out gifts like Draco did.

They finished putting up a variety of smaller decorations throughout the house before finally taking a break at about four in the morning. They took another nip of Wideye potion as they sat on the couch beside each other, downing the pile of sugar cookies the girls had helped Draco make for Father Christmas. Harry laid his head in his husband's lap as they quietly ate together.

"I knew parenting would be exhausting," Harry murmured, "But this isn't what I expec-" Harry paused as he had taken a bite of an apparently fragile cookie that sprayed crumbs all over his face. He started laughing as Draco dusted the crumbs from his cheeks. After a short fit of giggles, Draco glanced at the clock, "I should get started on the breakfast, they'll be up soon."

Historically, whenever something exciting was happening in the morning, the girls woke up at six in the morning. On school days they had to be up by seven thirty anyway, so they had developed a tendency to get a bit over excited and wake themselves up.

"You want me to help?" Harry offered, "I want to remind you that I'm not utterly incompetent in cooking, you just make it look that way."

Draco laughed and kissed Harry's cheek, "I know, I'm sorry. You can help if you want. You wanna fry up the bacon for me?"

The two headed into the kitchen and got to work. Draco went about mixing pancake batter as Harry started on the pound of bacon in the fridge. The two talked in hushed tones as they worked about the kitchen.

"Just think," Harry said with a grin, "Next year we'll have another stocking up on the fireplace."

"We should probably tell the girls soon," Draco reminded Harry.

"We've got time," Harry hedged.

Draco hummed in irritation, "She's due in April, Harry. There's not a lot of time left that we can even hide it from them. We're going to have to move the library into the office and put the crib up there pretty soon."

Harry sighed, "Okay, fair, but now's not the time. It's the holidays. I don't want them to get distracted from the joy of the season by such big news."

Draco gave him a stern look as he poured green pancake mix into the sizzling pan. Harry flinched as bacon fat jumped out of the pan and sizzled on the back of his hand. He held his hand up to his mouth and sucked on the red pain at the base of his thumb. Draco continued to glare at him. Harry rolled his eyes and relented as he turned the heat down on his burner, "Fine. We tell them the day after New Years. They don't go back to school until the fifth anyway, so it gives them time to process. Is that fair?"

Draco didn't seem tremendously pleased, but he knew it was a compromise for a reason. He nodded solemnly in agreement as he flipped the pine tree shaped pancake.

They worked quietly for a few more minutes, not speaking. Harry had plated the bacon and moved it to the dining table. Draco was still diligently working on his small army of Christmas tree pancakes. He had just taken one off the pan and stacked it onto a large plate when Harry interrupted him. He gently grabbed Draco's wrist and pulled him away from the hot stove. Draco sighed and put his spatula down as he turned to face Harry, "What?"

Harry let go of his wrist and stood close to him, "Hey," He murmured softly under his breath, "I'm not trying to be a pain on purpose. I'm just scared of how they're going to react to the news. It's not like we can undo this choice."

Draco's steely expression softened considerably, "There's no need to be scared. You're right, there's no turning back. So they'll just have to get used to it eventually. That's why I don't see the point in delaying telling them."

Harry nodded, "That's fair. It also might not be a good idea to tell them right now or even tomorrow because they might turn around and tell everyone at Molly's. And didn't we agree to not tell anyone until a month before the birth?"

Draco sighed, "I suppose you're right with that. Can we tell them after the holidays but before New Year's? How about the twenty seventh?"

Harry smiled, "Alright. Deal. We'll tell them in two days time. Happy?"

Draco sighed softly but a small smile curved his lips up slightly, "Yes. I'm sorry I got cross with you."

"It's alright, I'm sorry I was being a pain in the ass."

"Oh, hush," Draco said softly as he snaked his arms around Harry's waist and kissed him. Just as Draco was starting to deepen his kiss they heard a thud from upstairs. They pulled apart with a smile and looked at each other, "Ready?" Draco asked. Harry laughed, "I'm never quite ready to handle their energy, yet I always survive, don't I?"

"Too true," Draco snickered softly as the kids came barreling down the stairs.

...

2:15 p.m.

The Burrow had been known to be filled to the brim with children in the past. After all, Molly and Arthur at one time had seven children running under their feet. Now, however, they had far surpassed the previous maximum the Burrow had ever held for one holiday. A grand total of ten Weasley grandchildren were running, sitting, crawling, and cooing throughout the Burrow. All six Weasley children and their five spouses were in attendance as well. In addition, Harry and his family were also there, as well as Andromeda and her grandson Teddy. The latter parties were not formally related to the Weasleys, but were as close as family.

Teddy was back from his first term at Hogwarts. Everyone had privately suspected that Andromeda would be all over him with how much she had missed him in the fall. Instead, they found Andromeda quite content over the term and not remotely clinging to her grandson. She had been filling most of her days, as she told Molly over a mug of cocoa by the fire, with her work at the Ministry. She was publishing a book on proper muggle relations, although as she reported to Molly, "My original idea they threw out the window. I wanted to write about creating a safe community for both wizards and muggles to live side by side, without secrecy. I really don't see what all the fuss is about. There's so much misunderstanding in our world about muggles. Everyone assumes they're idiots because they don't have magic, but I know it's not true. Have you heard of Stephen Hawking? He's a muggle and he's smarter than anyone I've ever met. These muggles can explain the ways in which the world works without magic, and it makes perfect sense! They call it science I'm told. It's really fascinating stuff. But, then again, the editors gave me a face not unlike the one you're wearing now, Molly." Andromeda laughed genially at the befuddled look on her friend's face. "Don't worry yourself dear, I know my thoughts are a bit radical at times."

So while Andromeda was leaving her grandson alone for most of the party, Teddy still found himself being swamped by his friend Victoire. She was nine, still a couple years away from getting into Hogwarts. She wouldn't stop pestering Teddy with questions about school, "What's the Hufflepuff common room like?"

"Um, warm I guess. It's by the kitchens."

"Oh the kitchens! I heard there's house elves in there!"

Hermione overheard this as she was feeding baby Hugo on the couch and made a face. She glanced over at the kids and listened closely.

"I dunno, I've never seen one. I thought they got rid of them actually."

Hermione's expression relaxed slightly and she privately decided she would send and owl to Minerva after the holidays and inquire about the house elf situation at Hogwarts.

"What was it like putting the hat on? Was it scary?"

"Not really, it figured my house out really quickly. My mum's house apparently. That's what Headmistress McGonagall told me anyway."

"Ohhh I heard she was very strict!"

"I mean, she is," Teddy shrugged, "But she's gotta be doesn't she? She's got a school to run, it can't be easy. But she's got a soft spot. Maybe she just likes me though, I dunno."

"Daddy tells me Hagrid is a real nice gamekeeper, have you met him yet?"

"Yeah," Teddy sighed as he plopped down at one of the dining room chairs. Their extremely early dinner had been consumed just an hour ago. The family was meandering through the cramped house. Many others already sat chatting at the dining table. Percy sat at one end of the table with his two and half year old daughter, Lucy, in his lap. His wife, Audrey, sat across from him. The two parents talked animatedly with Charlie about the similarities of parenting and raising a dragon.

"I've met Hagrid, he's nice. I've had tea with him once or twice. He tries to talk to me about mum and dad sometimes, but I don't really like it. He gets really sad and starts to cry, and I don't like it. I don't like to think about them."

"Ohhh, have you been in the Forbidden Forest yet?"

"Merlin," Teddy rolled his eyes hard and stood again, "Victoire can you just leave me alone? Go find Dominique and bother her!" He shouted angrily and stormed off back into the living room where most of the family was congregated. Victoire was left crying quietly in the kitchen. Bill, having heard his daughter's familiar whimpering from across the kitchen, made a beeline for his daughter. She was getting bigger, but he still managed to pick her up and carry her outside. He held her up as the snow drifted down from the cloudy gray sky lazily, "What happened my love?"

"Teddy got mad at me," She whined softly, leaning against her dad's shoulder.

"Were you asking him about Hogwarts?"

"Was I not supposed to?"

His arms growing weary, Bill slowly lowered his daughter to the ground. He knelt in front of her and wiped some of her tears off her cheeks. It was alarming him how fast she was growing up. He was seeing her mother in her more and more every day. He hated that she was getting older, but he would never admit it to anyone but Fleur. "It's okay to ask him questions. I know how curious and excited you are to go to Hogwarts. But Teddy has only been there a couple of months now. He won't have an answer to all of your question. He also might be going through his own stuff right now and might not want to talk. I'm not saying it was okay for him to snap at you, but try to remember he might have a lot going on. Okay?"

Victoire nodded slowly. He held open his arms and she fell against his chest, hugging him tight around the middle. Bill was going to sorely miss her when she had to leave in two years for her own year at Hogwarts.

Teddy, meanwhile, had not managed to evade the rest of his family as he had hoped. As soon as he had stormed away from Victoire he ran directly into Harry who had just walked away from Ginny and Terry. He had been introduced to their baby daughter, Madeline, who had been born precisely nine months after their wedding in 2007. Harry had happened to turn away at just the precise moment that Teddy was storming off. Instead of making a grand exit, he ran headfirst into his godfather.

"Woah, sorry there Teddy," Harry apologized calmly. He looked down at his godson but was surprised to find the boy's head a vibrant crimson shade instead of his usual mellow blue. He rested a hand on his godson's hair as he looked up at Harry with fire in his eyes. Quite literally, even Teddy's eyes were a flaming orange shade.

"Want to take a step outside with me bud? You look like you might need to cool down. It is rather stuffy in here," Harry suggested gently. Before Teddy could say anything he gently put his arm around him and lead him out the front door of the Burrow. "Alright, let it out." Harry suggested as soon as he shut the door behind him. Teddy went off on a tirade about how annoying Victoire was and how he didn't want to talk about Hogwarts because he wasn't having as much fun as he let on.

"I can't stand it! I thought it would be easy to make friends with everyone but it's like they all knew each other already! The muggle borns don't wanna talk to me because they don't think I'd get them cuz I was raised by a witch, and the few purebloods expect me to be some big fucking hero because you're my godfather and my parents were martyrs!"

"That's enough," Harry cut him off sternly. Teddy huffed in frustration but eased up a bit, hsi shoulder relaxing and the hue of his hair and eyes softening. "To start, you don't need to use that foul language at this age. I don't mind, but you'll give your grandma a heart attack. Secondly, your parents were not martyrs. They were people who laid down their lives for what they believed was right. You know that, you're just mad. I know you're not going to believe me, but I do understand what you're going through."

Teddy made a loud noise of disbelief and threw his hands up in disbelief. Harry suppressed the urge to laugh at this show of frustration, "Teddy, I was raised by muggles. But when I went to the wizarding world everyone knew me as a great vanquisher of He Who Must Not Be Named. Expectations were rested on my shoulders from the day I walked into that school. It's not unlike what you're going through."

Teddy seemed receptive to this. He knew a bit about his godfather, but he hadn't quite been aware of how much pressure had been on his shoulders as a kid. Teddy seemed to return to normal, his hair returning to his preferred blue, "How did you get through that?"

"You need to prove that you're not who they think you are. You need to think for yourself. Don't try to be like me or your parents or your grandmother. You are your own person. If anyone gives you grief, you can just tell them that you are Teddy Remus Lupin. You are not Remus. You are not Tonks. You are not Harry. You are only yourself. Trust me, if you are just yourself you will find yourself with friends. Something tells me you probably have already met your friends, you just might not know them as friends yet."

Teddy shrugged, "I mean, maybe. Cameron is alright, but he's a little weird."

Harry smirked, "Oh yeah, how's he weird?"

"He knits a lot and has painted nails. The other boys make fun of him when he's not around or when he has his back turned."

"Do you make fun of him?"

"No, but he does seem a little odd."

"Maybe try getting to know him and don't let the others make fun of him?"

Teddy nodded, "Yeah. Maybe."

Harry smiled and ruffled Teddy's hair, "Feeling better now, kid?"

Teddy rolled his eyes but smiled up at his godfather, "Yeah."

"Alright, get back in there. Maybe go say you're sorry to Victoire."

Teddy sighed but agreed and headed back inside. Harry waited a beat before heading back in. Draco immediately found him, sidling up to him and wrapping an arm around his waist, "Everything okay?" He murmured under his breath, "I saw you slip out with Teddy."

"Just school stress really," Harry explained, "Nothing to worry about. How are the girls?"

"Well," Draco said with a small smirk as he glanced at the nearby staircase, "Take a look for yourself."

Harry's eyes wandered to the wide and tall stairs and saw toward the top, nearly out of sight, were a handful of children. The twins and Freddie occupied one step while Molly and Rose sat on the stair below. Between the two girls was a large box of Bertie Bott's that they had gotten from a cracker. Harry watched as Rose covered Molly's eyes and Molly blindly took a bean from the box and ate it. Fred seemed to say something at the same time as Lyra as they watched Molly expectantly. When she started to cough and stick her tongue out, clearly disgusted by the flavor, Lyra pumped her fist in the air as Fred shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, at least they're having fun, right?" Harry snickered.

Draco shrugged, "I suppose. We're gonna have to tear them away somewhat soon."

"I thought your parents didn't expect us until five?"

Draco smiled, "Sweetheart, it's quarter to already."

Harry made a face, "You've got to be kidding."

His husband shook his head, "I'm afraid not. How do you think we can bribe them away from their game?"

Harry scratched at the growing five o'clock shadow on his jaw as he considered their options, "I would say we could offer them candy but they already have a good supply up there. Honestly, babe, I don't think there's any bribing. We just gotta go up there and grab them."

"Lyra is going to scream. Lily is going to cry."

"Yes, but I don't think there's any way to avoid it."

"You go first," Draco insisted.

Harry smiled and rolled his eyes good naturedly before heading for the stairs. He stepped up a couple stairs and called for them, "Girls, it's time to go. We gotta go see Grandma Cissy and Grandpa Lucius."

"But daddy!" Lyra whined.

"They'll have a few more presents for you," Harry hinted.

Lyra and Lily exchanged a look. They seemed to be trying to decide whether getting more presents was preferable to playing a game with their friends. They both sighed but agreed. They hugged their friends goodbye and came down the flight of stairs. Harry took one of each other hands in his and turned to Draco with a cocky grin. Draco stared back at him in astonishment.

They all turned toward the fireplace where Molly and Andromeda were still sitting, though Arthur had joined their conversation about muggles.

"Oh, you're not going are you Harry?" Molly asked with a sad smile.

"'Fraid so. Heading over to the Malfoys'. They're dying to spoil their grandkids."

Molly strained a smile, "I'm sure they are. Well," She stood and knelt in front of the girls, "It was lovely to see you as always my dears. Come back soon, okay?"

"Yes grandma Molly," Lily grinned.

"If there's more treacle tart," Lyra said casually, "I'll be around."

This cracked Molly up quite a bit, "Like father like daughter I suppose," She winked at Harry as she stood. She hugged him close and kissed his cheek. She turned and hugged Draco just as hard before letting the family go on past her to the fireplace.

...

9:22 p.m.

"Tell me a story," Lyra mumbled as she laid her head down across her grandpa's knees. Lucius smiled and pet back Lyra's dark brown hair from her face. Her eyes were already shut and she yawned for the fifth time in twenty minutes. "What kind of story dear?"

"I dunno, a fun one," She muttered vaguely against his knee.

Lucius glanced at the opposite couch in the family room. Draco was conked out on said couch, his head leaning against his husband's shoulder. Harry was engrossed in a book that Narcissa had bought for him for Christmas. He smiled to himself and glanced at Narcissa sitting on the other side of the sofa with him. Lily was already completely asleep in her arms. Narcissa continuously pet back Lily's wild red hair, occasionally kissing her head as she slept. His wife caught his eye and smiled at him.

"Once upon a time," Lucius murmured to Lyra as he kept his eyes locked on his wife, "There was a man. He was like most men. He had an education, a job, and wealth. He was successful and whole, but he wanted so much more than that. He was unaware that what he had been missing was right in front of him all along. Love was all he needed. He needed to be loved and he needed to love another. When he found his sweetheart, he felt complete for the first time in his life. He knew he could never let his love go." In a way, Lucius spoke of his wife. However, he deliberately was considering Harry and Draco's relationship as well. It was a story the girls were unaware of so far, but one day they would know all too well.

Regardless, Lyra did not exactly hear the story. She drifted into a sleep almost as soon as Lucius has began speaking. With the last granddaughter knocked out, Lucius cleared his throat. He managed to do so just quietly enough to not bother the girls but to get Harry's attention. His eyes flicked up and quickly assessed the situation behind his round specs. He smiled and put his book down in his lap. He carefully nudged Draco awake, "Time to go love."

* * *

 _A/N: I'm so sorry it's been so long guys! I graduated late May and (luckily) got a job right away and have been a bit preoccupied. If I'm being honest I also fell out love with the story and I just suddenly, the other day, fell back in love with it and whipped out 8k words in 24 hours. There's way more where this came from! I apologize if there's any typos in this one, I was so excited to post this that I wanted to post it as soon as possible. I'll make any corrections later ^_^_


	10. Sisters Again

April 7th, 2010

Narcissa quickly tied her long blond hair back in a bun. When she was younger she used to spend an hour carefully brushing out the silky strands into an elaborate updo with ribbons and bows. Now, however, she had twin granddaughters running around and she just needed her damn hair up.

"Lyra, no," Narcissa said as she reached down and gently wrapped her fingers around her granddaughter's chubby arm. She had been crawling closer and closer to the fire and was reaching straight for the flame. Lyra started to protest, but Narcissa just scooped her up and rested her on her hip. Lyra was starting to get a little old for being carried around, but she would hold her granddaughter until it was physically impossible. "When are daddies home?" Lyra pouted as she leaned against her grandmother's shoulder.

"Soon I'm sure," Narcissa said calmly.

"How soon?" Lyra sighed irritably.

"Well, Lyra dear, having a baby takes some time." Narcissa explained patiently. Before Lyra could ask another question, a whooping sound carried down from the stairs. Narcissa sighed and shook her head as Lucius came running down the stairs with Lily on his shoulders hollering in delight. He froze at the bottom step when he saw his wife standing stock still with a bemused expression on her face. Lily giggled profusely waving her hands in the air and shouting, "Again, again!"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow at Lucius, "What if she had fallen off your shoulders?"

"I've got her," Lucius insisted, pointing out his admittedly good grip on her legs that were draped over his shoulders.

"You say that now, but what if you had tripped down the stairs?"

"Well that didn't happen, she's fine," Lucius reminded her calmly.

"You need to be a little less reckless with her," Narcissa suggested. Her husband looked at her with his innocent baby blue eyes and pouted his lower lip ever so slightly. She sighed and curved the corner of her mouth just enough to let him off the hook. Lucius grinned and let Lily down, "Well, Lil, looks like grandma doesn't think it's a good idea to play grandpa dragon anymore."

"That's okay, I wanna play with blocks now." Lily shrugged and wandered over to the pile of blocks next to her toy chest. Lyra wriggled in Narcissa's arms without saying a word. Cissy laughed and let down her granddaughter, "Go ahead little one." Lucius walked over to his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist. She smiled and leaned into him, kissing his cheek, "What happened to being overprotective of her?"

"She wants to have fun. Besides, her dad's a damn healer. I doubt there's anything I could do from playing dragon that Draco couldn't fix."

Narcissa rolled her eyes a bit, but knew he had a bit of a point. She supposed the chance of Lily getting hurt was minimal, "Fine. Play dragon with her then but —"

The door suddenly cracked open beside them. They turned and saw their son stepping through the front door. His hair was a bit of a mess and there were bags under his eyes. They had left late the night before when their surrogate had gone into labor. Despite the many hours he had been awake, Draco's eyes were still bright. He was completely blocking the door as his parents watched him eagerly, his daughters looking over their shoulders expectantly.

"May I introduce," Draco said a bit too triumphantly as he stepped forward and out of the way for Harry to walk in behind him, "Your new grandson and brother, James Sirius Potter-Malfoy." Bundled up in Harry's arms was a fresh newborn with a shock of black hair not unlike his father's. He had been born in the middle of the night and had just been cleared to leave that afternoon.

Lily and Lyra charged straight for their dad, both eager to get a look at their new baby brother. "Hang on," Harry murmured as he slipped past the girls and sat down carefully on the couch as Draco tucked a pillow under his arm for him. The girls clambered up onto the couch and pressed close against to their dad to look down at the baby.

"Why is he so small?" Lyra whispered with a frown.

Harry tried not to laugh, "That's how big most babies are when they're born."

"That's how big we were?" Lily echoed.

Harry glanced away from his son long enough to look at his daughters. His grin he had been wearing for the last hour or two faltered a bit, "You were both a bit smaller actually."

"So small," Lily murmured in awe.

The newborn slept soundly, unaware of his new family encircling him.

Lyra watched the baby curiously but was oddly quiet. Generally, nobody could get Lyra to shut up. But she had taken the news of a new sibling the hardest. She had said rather harshly that she hadn't wanted Lily for a sister and she didn't want another "wimp" like her. The baby in front of her looked pretty weak and boring so far and she wasn't sure what to make of him. "He'll get big like us though won't he?" Lyra asked Harry skeptically.

"Yes, all in due time."

"So we can't play with him yet can we?"

"Not quite, but you can hold him if you want," Harry offered. His heart was overflowing with the soft joy that came with becoming a parent, no matter which child it was. The thought of his darling girls holding his newborn son only magnified this happiness. "You want to try and hold him Lily?"

Lily blanched slightly but nodded, "Okay."

Draco knelt in front of her, "Hold your arms out sweetheart." She did just as her dad asked. Harry carefully began to lower James into his sister's arms. Draco gently moved Lily's arm to support the baby's neck and tucked another pillow beneath the baby so she wouldn't strain her arms.

"Oh wow," Lily murmured under her breath as she looked down at the baby. "Hi baby brother. I'm Lily," She kissed his nose sweetly, "I think I love you already."

Collectively, the entire family felt their hearts swell with pure love. All except Lyra. When Harry turned and asked Lyra if she wanted to hold the baby she shrugged and muttered, "If you want me to daddy."

"You don't have to," Harry reminded her, trying not to worry about Lyra's reluctance.

Lyra cast a glance at her sister and brother. In a way she couldn't quite comprehend she suddenly felt quite jealous. She never got along with her sister, they always butted heads. In her brother, however, lay her first real opportunity to gain a friend in the family. He may be a small, fragile baby now but she could help him be tougher. Her and Fred would raise him right. A sense of conviction overcame her as she held out her arms, "Lily it's my turn. Let me hold him."

The baby was carefully transferred from one child to the other. The shifting between people stirred James awake and as he was placed in his sister's arms his eyes slowly opened. Given how new to the world he was, everyone was a massive blur. But he looked up and could vaguely make out the shape of his sister's face as she peered down at him, "Hi James, I'm Lyra. You and I are going to be best friends, got it?" The baby involuntarily blew a spit bubble. Lyra took that as comprehension of her words and nodded, "Good."

Draco and Harry exchanged a nervous look. Draco deemed it best to try and separate what already looked like a partners in crime scenario and turned to his parents, "Do you want to meet your grandson?"

Lucius graciously accepted the small squirmy boy that was handed to him. His expression softened. It was far less noticeable now than it was years ago before the girls were born. Since their birth he had become a changed man. He had finally softened his resolve, his rough edges rounded out. When he held his first grandchild it was like watching a piece of granite turn into soft mud. This time, his expression had already been warm and inviting. Holding his grandson, his face held a greater joy than before. A smile on his lips lead to a crinkle by the corner of his eyes. It was always a tell tale sign to his wife of just how happy he was.

"Hi there darling boy, aren't you something? Welcome to the world. Oh don't worry James, I won't take offense that your name isn't as gorgeous as mine. We can't all be perfect." He smirked down at the baby as Draco and Harry rolled their eyes.

"Don't hog the baby, Lucius, give him to grandma," Narcissa demanded as she scooped the baby straight out of his arms. She beamed down at the cherub, "Don't you mind Grandpa Lucius. He may be a pain but he's loveable." After a few more minutes of being seemingly tossed back and forth the baby burst into tears, fed up with being awake. Harry delicately took the baby and headed upstairs to the prepared nursery while Draco said goodbye to his parents and saw to the girls.

2:34 a.m.

Harry crawled back into bed. Draco rolled over and wrapped his body around his husband, kissing his hair gently. It was the second time that night the baby had woken them. This time it had been Harry's turn to settle him down.

"Remember, time flies. He'll be on the train to school before we know it."

"That doesn't make me feel much better. He's cute now. What if he's a total pain in the ass at eleven? I know I was."

"Yeah well maybe he won't reject the first person who tries to be friends with him like his dad did."

"You were not the first person who tried to be my friend," Harry mumbled as he got comfortable and let his eyes close again.

"Nonetheless."

"Do you think the girls will like him?"

"Lily is in love already."

"Lily is also in love with the front door, that doesn't mean a whole lot," Harry sassed. It was true, however. Lily waved to the door every day when she came home from day school.

"Oh that just means she'll love him no matter what. And Lyra clearly wants him to be her sidekick like Freddie already is. Those three are going to be hell."

Harry smiled and mustered a slight laugh, "Yeah they will. Hmm. I guess it'll be fine."

"Don't fret love," Draco whispered as he played with Harry's hair, knowing it would help him fall asleep. The two drifted back into a dreamless slumber.


	11. Guardian Duties

September 1st, 2011

"What you're not going to run into it?" Harry asked his godson with a sigh of disappointment.

"Nobody does that anymore," Teddy said as he casually walked straight through the stone pillar at King's Cross Station between platforms 9 and 10. Harry rolled his eyes behind his silver spectacles. He glanced around. Other families were doing the same with their kids. He shook his head. It had been sixteen year since he had last stepped foot onto the platform. He hadn't considered that anything would have changed about it. But apparently it wasn't "cool" to go at a run anymore. He remembered Fred and George playing around with it by pretending to lean on it and falling through once, but he had always generally run in. There was something more thrilling about it that way. Besides, by the end of his ghastly summers with the Dursleys he more often than not wanted to run headfirst back into his magical reality. He waited for the family that budged in front of him go through before he ran straight on through the pillar. Teddy waited on the other side with a smile, "You're so old fashioned."

"Shut up punk," Harry teased as he wrapped an arm around his twelve year old godson and messed up his hair.

"Stop it," Teddy whined, yanking away and fixing his bubblegum hair. He had explained to Harry last Christmas that he kept it pink the first few weeks at Hogwarts in honor of his mother but eventually let it fade into the more natural brown of his father. He wanted to make sure everyone that saw him knew precisely who he was and what an honorable family he came from. Undoubtedly, there was little need to establish his identity as Tonks and Lupin's son these days. None of his classmates knew him solely by his pink hair. He had gained a reputation in his couple years as one of the cooler kids in his class. Truth be told, his wardrobe had been garnished lately with all too familiar paraphernalia for Andromeda. She had told Harry after a couple glasses of wine, "He's gotten one too many Wicked Sister and Vulgar Pistols shirts."

"You mean Weird Sisters and Sex Pistols?" Harry had asked. Tipsy Andromeda just groaned with a nod.

Even as they stood at the platform, carting his luggage behind him, Teddy sported his neon pink hair over a pitch black The Black Keys shirt. Andromeda and Harry were of the same mind that he was taking after his mother completely. He certainly did not have the quiet reserved nature that Harry had understood Lupin to have in his youth. Given that Remus was a werewolf however, he had to be shy and reserved. He was too afraid of getting close to anyone to make friends. Perhaps he would have been this outspoken and vibrant had he not been impaired by his ailment. Nonetheless, Teddy's rebellious persona seemed to be nothing more than that. Teddy was not one for actual rebellion and had gotten into minimal trouble at school, "No thanks to you," Andromeda reminded him, "It's a good thing I brought him up. A troublemaker like you only raises troublemakers." Harry was personally convinced she may have had a point. Lyra was already causing problems and she wasn't even six yet.

Harry couldn't help but notice as he helped the luggage onto the train that Teddy seemed to know everyone. Harry supposed that's what it was like to be the popular one in your grade. He was pleasantly surprised to find Teddy greeting not only people in his grade and house, but students in every house and every age. He caught a chocolate frog package that a sixth year Gryffindor boy tossed him from across the platform and shouted, "We're even now Zig!"

"Zig? What kind of name is Zig?" Harry asked out loud, unable to help himself.

"Y'know, like Ziggy? His parents are huge Bowie fans."

"Ahh, gotcha. Muggleborns are still into Bowie?"

"Harry, everyone is into Bowie. Or at least everyone should be," Teddy remarked matter of factly as he pocketed the package. "Oh, hey, Weasleys are here." Harry glanced up and saw a slight smile cross Teddy's face before glancing over to find the most gorgeous members of the Weasley clan making their way through the crowd. Little Louis was holding Bill's hand while Dominique marched behind her mother with her arms folded. Victoire, on the other hand, was far more excited. She rushed forward, "Teddy!"

Just as Victoire went to hug him Teddy held up a hand, palm up, "No way Vic. I beat you fair and square, cough up the goods."

"What's this?" Fleur asked as they caught up to their child.

Victoire rolled her eyes and pulled at a leather cord hanging from her neck. She swung it up over her head and handed the necklace to Teddy. At the end of the cord hung the tooth of a kneazle. "Teddy had a bet with me to win back his kneazle tooth. He bet he would beat me to the platform."

"How did you end up with a kneazle necklace in the first place and why does she have it at all?" Harry inquired.

"Hagrid made it for me last year. He found a dead rabbit in the woods with some teeth still lodged in it, so he gave me one of the teeth. Anyway, she bet me this necklace that Puddlemere United would win against the Wimbourne Wasps last spring. She won the necklace and I've been bent on getting it back ever since."

"Oh you poor thing," Victoire said unsympathetically, "You were without your silly necklace for a whole six months."

Teddy rolled his eyes at her. Harry nudged him to knock it off and he reluctantly stopped acting all huffy, "Still. I won it back fair and square."

"Yeah, until I get it back from you again," Victoire smirked.

Teddy mocked her, "Until I get it back from you," but as he did he slowly turned his face into a duck bill and quacked at her. She burst into a fit of laughter that immediately made the silly duck on Teddy's face become replaced with a wide human grin. The two were as thick as thieves as they had always been.

"Are you excited to start this year?" Harry asked Victoire kindly.

She nodded, "I was always jealous of Teddy, that's why I wanted the necklace so badly."

"What house do you think you'll be?" The Weasley family had a habit of placing petty bets on the house sortings. That was probably where Victoire had gotten the idea to bet for the necklace in the first place. She had been there when everyone in the family had bet at a gathering before Teddy's first year that he would be in Hufflepuff. Not a single person had bet otherwise. Victoire did not know that the bets were equally divided among the family on her. Half guessed Ravenclaw and the other half guessed Gryffindor. She was smart as a whip, even rivaling Hermione's past tendencies to stay up too late reading her books. However, she had her father's spirit in her as well. Hermione, it should be said, believed fiercely that she would get Ravenclaw, arguing that there were brave Ravenclaws just like there were wise Gryffindors.

"Oh I don't know. I'd like to be in Hufflepuff but Teddy doesn't think I'm cool enough to get in there."

"Is Hufflepuff suddenly a cool house now?" Harry asked more toward Bill and Fleur than anyone else. They both shook their heads imperceptibly while Teddy retorted, "It's always been the cool house."

"I wouldn't mind being in Ravenclaw,"

Teddy coughed out, "Geek."

Victoire smacked his arm, "Oh stop it."

"Okay kids," Bill said above their rising tones of tomfoolery, "Train's leaving pretty soon, you better get on board. Vic, do you need help with the trunk?"

"I got it," Teddy insisted as he struggled to haul it onto the train. Bill and Harry exchanged a knowing look. Everyone in the Weasley clan suspected Teddy to have a sweet spot for Victoire, though they were divided on what that meant. Half of the family, mostly the female half, insisted the two were close friends. The other half were under the impression that by seventh year the two would be dating.

Presently, Fleur knelt in front of her daughter and kissed her cheek before hugging her close, "You be good, okay? You study hard, you're there to learn after all. Try not to lollygag too much with Teddy."

"Yes mamá," Victoire said sheepishly as she hugged her mother goodbye.

Bill smiled down at his eldest child, "Just remember, a little rebellion is okay now and then." Fleur shot him a disapproving look. Bill just winked to Victoire and she smiled. He was not so secretly the cool dad while Fleur was the disciplinarian of the two. Fleur nudged at Dominique's shoulder, "Won't you say goodbye to your sister?"

"Have fun being a nerd or whatever," Dominique huffed, her arms still folded tightly across herself.

"Don't you think I would take you with me if I could, Dommie?"

Judging by the expression on her sister's face, Dominique didn't think so. She looked away from her sister and shrugged. Victoire looked slightly taken aback but ran out and hugged her sister anyway, crossed arms and all. "I'm going to miss you Dommie, take care of Louis for me. Don't let him eat my toys."

"I do not—" Louis started, but Bill shushed him.

Dominique sighed and relaxed, finally hugging her sister back, "Okay. I will. Don't have too much fun without me."

"I'll do my best," Victoire assured just as Teddy popped his head out of the train window behind them, "Hurry up! It's 10:58 Vic."

Vic quickly hugged her little brother and hopped onto the train as Harry looked up at his godson incredulously, "What? I don't get a goodbye?"

"Uggggh," Teddy groaned as he ran back off the train and threw himself into Harry, hugging him tight. Despite his best efforts, his hair shifted to a soft rose shade. He still hadn't gotten a complete grip on his metamorphing. Just like his mother before him, his hair still betrayed his emotions at times. The rose was exclusively for when he felt great love for another. Harry held his godson close and kissed his abnormal hair, "Behave. Write to your grandma. And to me. It'd be nice to hear from you once in awhile. No starting a punk band."

"Oh good idea," Teddy laughed as he let go, his hair turning neon again. He managed to jump onto the train steps just as the train began to move. He waved goodbye to his family as the train began to take off, ducking into the train compartments once it began to pick up speed.

Harry watched the train until it was out of sight, along with the Weasleys. He turned and looked at Fleur and Bill, both were fairly misty eyed. He half expected Fleur to sob, but he knew that she had matured a lot since he had first met her. It wasn't even his own child that he had seen off to Hogwarts and yet he felt a part of him ache. He hadn't been there the first few times that Teddy had gone off to school. He hadn't known it could be this wretched.

"Do you think this gets any easier?" Harry asked Bill quietly.

Bill shook his head, "Doubtful. Mum told me the other day that she always cried when we left. Every. Single. Time."

"Oh great," Harry said. "Let's see 7 times per child, that'll be fun. That's what… twenty eight times?"

"For who? We both only have three kids, that's 21," Bill pointed out.

Harry turned crimson, "Oh, uh,"

"Wait are you going for a fourth? Already?" Bill said with a wide grin.

Harry rubbed at the back of his neck, "These things take time. Draco wanted a Malfoy. I don't doubt his dad urged it too." This was completely untrue and Harry knew it. Lucius had learned to accept his three non-biological grandkids as true blood grandchildren. He had let go of his pureblood strictness when he had looked into Lily's eyes for the first time. She was halfblood, and he didn't care one bit. In truth, Draco had looked at Harry just a few weeks ago and had asked if maybe he should have a child too. Both weary from their current baby, they agreed they needed at least a two year gap between the children. But with James already being a year old, that meant they had to start going through the process somewhat soon. They were interviewing a prospective surrogate in a fortnight.

"Oh shit we're the first to know aren't we?" Bill's delight only grew. Fleur snapped at him for swearing in front of the kids and muttered to them in French to not curse like their father.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to let it slip. You know how it is. There's always the risk things won't work out. So please, don't tell anyone."

Bill calmed down, sobered by the reminder of how difficult it could be for them. He nodded, "I won't tell a soul. Will we Fleur?"

"Non," She replied curtly, "Perhaps the Weasleys can keep one secret?"

"Hopefully," Harry agreed. He knew if the word did leak that Draco would kill him. But despite Draco's fear that something would go wrong and they were unable to have the child they wanted, Harry had a good feeling. He had an overwhelming intuition that in five or six more years he would be standing at the platform with four children instead of three.


	12. A Star is Born

May 10th, 2012

"Won't Teddy be surprised," Harry said with a weak smile.

"That's really who you jump to right now?" Draco shook his head, "Not your parents or mine being surprised, no, no. Teddy."

"Yeah. He'll get home from school and meet the baby first thing, with no idea he was born at all. Nobody wants to send big news during tests."

Draco sighed, "Where is your panic?"

"Why should I be panicking? They said it's fine. He's full grown, Draco. He isn't going to be Lily sized."

"How can you joke about that?" Draco snapped as he paced the waiting room they were in. Unlike like the three previous children, this child decided to arrive mid-day. Draco and Harry had very suddenly had to leave the kids with Molly and Arthur while Narcissa and Lucius helpfully tidied the shambles of their house and got the last of the nursery preparations ready.

It turned out that the baby had grown a bit faster than expected, which the doctors seemed to attribute to the good diet of the mother but Draco highly suspected had to do with magic. It was known to happen from time to time, especially when magical blood mixed with non magic. Frankly, if someone had gone back in time and told Draco he would heir a child with a muggle he would have laughed them out of existence. Lucius surely would have had a heart attack and died on the spot just ten years ago if such news came to him. But as it was, nobody cared anymore. Especially when research had come out from the elite magic medical field that children of halfblood status tended to have a longer life span and had the potential to have more magical abilities. It seemed, as the research suggested, magic kind was always destined to procreate with non magic folk. In the end, all of their kids had been half blood so it only seemed appropriate that Draco's offspring was as well. Harry had deliberately chosen a muggle to heir James, so Draco had opted for using the same surrogate to keep the kids closely related.

A nurse entered the room without warning. She looked between the anxious, expectant fathers with a blank expression…that slowly turned into a smile, "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby boy."

A watery smile spread across Draco's face as he tried not to cry, "He's okay?"

"Yes, he's likely to go home today. Would you like to meet him?"

Harry took Draco's hand in his, knowing he was overwhelmed with emotion. Again. He nodded on his husband's behalf, "We would love to."

"Follow me then," She said sweetly. They followed the kind nurse down a hall to a small room with several plastic cribs in it. Only a few squirmy babies were in said room as she brought them in. Before she could point to the baby that was theirs Draco let go of Harry and made a beeline for a crib on the far end of the room. The nurse seemed surprised, "Wow, I don't know if I've ever met a dad that can spot his kid from a lineup like that."

Harry smiled proudly, "That's because he isn't any old dad." He watched from afar as Draco carefully and delicately picked up his fourth child, and his first biological child. The beautiful bald baby was calm in his father's arms. Harry felt as if he was falling in love with his husband all over again. He swallowed a lump in his throat and grunted to the nurse, "Is there a space where we can just be with him?"

"Yes, let's get you to the bonding room. Mum has provided the first bottle for you if you would like to feed him," She offered kindly.

In a matter of minutes, Draco and Harry lay side by side on a tiny hospital bed. As they had with James, by recommendation of a midwife, they both lay bare chested and took turns letting the baby lie on their chests. He slept soundly on Draco's chest, not ready to wake for food just yet. Harry held his husband's hand firmly as he slowly ran a finger over the fine down hair on the baby's back. They spoke in hushed whispers, "How is it that this is the third time we have been through this and it still is as incredible as ever?"

"Miracles can't grow old," Draco reasoned.

"Fair enough. But isn't it a bit ridiculous that I've gone and clear forgot the names we had picked out?"

Draco looked away from their son long enough to look at Harry derisively, "Come on Harry it's not that hard. Both boy and girl names were constellations. Eliminate any in my family and you have a good few left and most are feminine in name. Narrow it down."

"I don't have every constellation memorized like you you dork," Harry grumbled. This only made Draco smile, "Do you at least remember the middle name?"

"Obviously,"

"Well now I don't believe you since you couldn't remember the first name. Go on, what's this beautiful boys middle name?"

"Rubeus," Harry sighed, "I'm not liable to forget that one."

"Alright I'll help you out. The first name starts with a C."

"Oh Calliope was the girls name," Harry recalled unhelpfully, "But he's a boy."

"Very good dad, now what's your son's actual name?" Draco teased.

Harry sat and thought about it for a minute while Draco made a stupid face at him. Before Harry could respond the baby stirred and began to cry pitifully. They both knew instinctively it was a hunger cry. Harry got up and retrieved the bottle that waited in a bottle warmer. He handed it to his husband but Draco hesitated, "Are you sure you don't want to feed him first?"

"I fed James first. You feed … Caelum," Harry recalled suddenly.

Draco grinned as he shifted Caelum Rubeus into his arms and took the bottle from his partner. Harry sat beside him on the bed, leaning against his husband and resting his chin on his shoulder to look down at the baby. His pale gray eyes were open wide as he peered up at them, just able to make out their faces above him.

"Well there's no mistaking it, he has your eyes. I'm sure he'll have your awful hair too," Harry murmured in his husband's ear.

"Oh hush, better than the untamable mess that James has which I blame entirely on you."

"Don't blame me, blame my dad."

Draco snickered, "Fair enough. Same goes for this little guy. Not my fault if he's white blonde, it's my dad's."

"Who knows, maybe we'll luck out. His mum's hair is admittedly gorgeous."

"I don't know, I think he could look dapper with daddy's hair."

"If he looks anything like you, he's already too handsome for this world," Harry mumbled before kissing his husband's ear gently. Draco's cheeks flushed but he made no attempt to be humble or modest. He knew Harry was right.

"Handsome as his father or not," Draco sighed gently as he watched him drain the bottle dry, "There is no doubt he will be loved."


	13. The Talk

August 24th, 2013

A barn owl startled the Potter-Malfoy household one frantic morning by swooping straight through the kitchen window that had been opened to let in a cool morning breeze. The owl landed primly on top of the shut up jug of orange juice in the middle of their table. Unfortunately, every single child started screaming in surprise at the owl. Caelum burst into tears at the sudden fussing and increased noise. Lyra shouted, "I knew I would get into Hogwarts early!" and shortly thereafter made her twin sister burst into tears, "Why don't I get to go early?" Meanwhile James was reaching out to pet the owl with a razor sharp beak and talons. Unfortunately this was not the most disastrous breakfast that Harry and Draco had had to endure. Draco had been closest to Caelum and pulled him up out of his chair and disappeared into the living room to calm him. Harry silently grabbed James' chubby little arm and stopped him from touching the owl, "No touch James."

"But I wanna,"

"No. Girls it isn't for you it's for me and dad. You're only 6, you aren't going to Hogwarts yet."

"6 and a half," Lyra reminded him.

The owl tilted it's head to Harry and nodded politely. He vaguely recognized it but he hadn't drank enough tea yet to have full use of his brain. After pushing James' high chair away from the table, he untied the envelope from the bird's leg. As soon as he did the owl soared out the window again in a flurry of feathers that made the girls screech momentarily in surprise.

"Girls, enough. You're scaring Caelum," Harry grumbled mildly as he scooted James' chair back with one foot while opening the envelope addressed to himself and Draco. He unconsciously registered that the sounds of his youngest crying had diminished in the other room.

 _Harry and Draco,_

 _I hope this letter finds you both well. I can't imagine how exhausting those four darlings must be. Anyhow, assuming you're alright and the house isn't on fire (yet) I have an awkward favor to ask of you two._

 _As you've both noticed, Teddy is growing up so fast. I had to replace his robes after Christmas this year because he grew so much! I love him dearly, but I've noticed he's hit the point where there's certain aspects of adulthood that he needs to have explained in him. Well, suffice to say, I don't think he would take hearing it from his grandmother very well. You two are the men in his life that he looks up to the most. Someone needs to talk to him before this coming school year, as I'm afraid he might struggle otherwise. If you wouldn't mind terribly, please send back an owl and invite him to tea and find a time to talk to him about what his growing up means. I wish you the best of luck. This is never an easy conversation to have with a teenager. But consider it as preparation for your own children!_

 _Fondly yours,_

 _Andromeda_

Harry ran a hand through his hair as he read the last of the letter. The kids had gone back to eating somewhat peacefully. Draco sat in his chair beside Caelum's seat and was sprinkling pieces of cereal onto his high chair tray. Harry cleared his throat to get his husband's attention.

"Who's it from?" Draco asked, glancing at the letter.

"Andromeda. Family duty calls."

"Like we don't have enough of family duty as it is," He sighed in reply, "What does she need?"

"Oh, you know, just have The Talk with Teddy," Harry said nonchalantly.

Draco blanched, his eyes widening, "No."

"We don't have a choice. Someone's gotta do it."

"Tag you're it."

Harry rolled his eyes but smirked, "You're not getting out of this."

"Why not?" He whined

"Because Andromeda specifically wants both of us to do it."

Draco genuinely didn't see why he had to help facilitate the discussion. Harry could certainly handle it just fine on his own. "Can't I just watch the kids down here while you talk to him?"

"No, we'll take them to their grandparents."

Lyra and Lily perked up. "Which ones," Lyra inquired.

"Your pick," Harry said as he often did.

"Grandpa Luscious!" Lily and Lyra cheered. It was a nickname they had developed when they were learning to talk. It apparently was too difficult for them to pronounce Loo-see-us so Harry had flippantly suggested luscious as a standby, given how damn sleek and perfect his hair always was. Harry had privately called him Luscious in his head for years. He hadn't meant for the girls to pick it up, but now that they had he was forever Grandpa Luscious.

"Okay, so the girls go to your parents' and the boys go the Weasleys. You're not getting out of this, he'll need your insight as much as mine. For all you know he's … more like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco snapped irritably.

Harry smiled as he sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea, "Well, he might be gay like you."

"Hello, you're gay."

"No I'm not," Harry said flatly as he stirred creamer into his tea, "I'm bi. If he has questions on one side of the fence he's better off asking me than you and vice versa."

"I'm dooooone!" James called out, gesturing to the empty bowl on the table in front of him. Harry didn't even move his gaze away from his husband as he slipped his wand from his pocket and silently made the bowl move to the counter of dirty dishes. James cooed in fascination. He never seemed to get bored by magical displays about the house.

"Daddy," Lyra chimed in looking up at Harry as she spooned more cereal into her mouth, "What's gay mean?" She mumbled through a mouth full of Lucky Charms.

Harry glanced from his daughter to his husband as he took a long sip at his tea. His husband raised an eyebrow. Harry blinked in reply. Draco rolled his eyes and blinked hard. Harry sighed as he put down his teacup. Some distant part of him from the past would have thought it sweet that he could communicate silently with his husband like that, but in reality it had become second nature for them to communicate this way.

"Gay is when a man loves a man," Harry said plainly. It was mostly true, he figured. Today was not the day to distinguish between romantic and sexual attraction with his kids. "Like daddy and daddy."

"What about people that have a daddy and a mommy? What are they called, not gay?" Lily asked.

"That would be considered straight, when a man loves a woman."

"Can women love other women then?" Lily added.

Harry hated the question phase, "Yes. That's called being a lesbian."

"So if I love Lyra," Lily started to say.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's the sort of love that two people who are not related have. The kind of love where," Harry sighed trying to find a way to phrase it through his exhausted brain, "You want to wake up and see them every day. Do you want to see Lyra every day?"

Lily and Lyra exchanged a look and replied together, "No."

"There you go then."

"Daddy am I straight or a lesbian?" Lyra asked.

Draco snorted a laugh. Harry shot him a look before replying to his daughter, "You'll figure that out for yourself when you're older."

" _Much_ older," Draco chimed in.

"How old are people when they fall in love?" Lyra countered.

"Older than you."

"Draco," Harry admonished, "Shush." He turned back to Lyra and Lily at the end of the table, "People don't really control when they fall in love but generally speaking that sensation doesn't hit until you're Hogwarts aged. Some people don't fall in love until long after they leave Hogwarts."

Lyra pouted and pushed her cereal away from herself, "I wanna know if I'm straight or not now."

"Get used to life taking too long kiddo," Harry grumbled as he continued to sip his tea. He slipped his wand out again and tapped a discarded butter knife on the table, muttering an incantation under his breath to turn it into a scrap of parchment. He tapped the empty butter dish beside it and made it into a quill.

"Show off," Draco muttered. Harry smirked but said nothing. He summoned the ink bottle from the office upstairs and dipped the quill in.

"Couldn't you have summoned all of that? Now we're out of a butter dish," Draco complained. Harry just shrugged in reply. Draco rolled his eyes. Harry quickly scrawled a slightly legible note to Andromeda agreeing to talk to Teddy the following afternoon. As he wrote he spoke, "Love, would you mind sending word to the families about the kids coming by? Not sure if Molly and Arthur are already watching other kids or not. If they are, ask Ron and 'Mione or Neville."

"You already have the ink and quill. Just transfigure your teacup."

Harry sighed and summoned himself more paper without a word. Draco had been cross for awhile and Harry couldn't figure out why. He assumed it was general fatigue. They rarely got a full night's sleep. Harry functioned easily on little sleep (so long as he had tea) from a childhood of being woken up abruptly or too scared of bugs crawling in his cabinet to fall asleep. Draco, meanwhile, had been so pampered he couldn't function on less than eight hours. But the longevity of this snarky spell made Harry suspect something else was awry. He jotted notes to his in laws and adoptive family before slipping into the backyard and whistling loudly. Their old owl had passed away a couple years back. They had replaced it with a well trained hawk they had discovered in Diagon Alley. She was a native species and not nocturnal, so no nearby muggles were alarmed by her presence. The great bird flew from her nest a block away and landed on the clothesline in the yard. Harry greeted the bird kindly. She snapped the envelopes up in her beak as soon as he held them out to her and made off with them.

...

Later that night, once the kids had been put to their respective beds, Harry felt compelled to figure out what was causing his husband to lash out more. Petty snark and sass was typical in their relationship, but lately his husband's tone had been less jesting and more hurtful. When Harry got out of the shower he found Draco curled up in bed with the lights off, his back to Harry. This had become a pattern in the past month or so. Harry let a sigh escape his nose as he tossed his damp towel in the hamper. Normally he would have crawled in bed and woken up the next morning after Draco, finding the bed empty. This time he had to put an end to the cycle. He walked over and stood behind the arched back in the sheets. He waited a moment, watching his breathing. As he had suspected, he wasn't truly asleep.

"Draco."

"What." His voice snapped coldly.

Harry felt defenses sprint to life under his skin but he stifled them. He tried to level his breathing before responding, "Can we talk?" The softness in his voice even surprised himself. It seemed to catch Draco off guard as well. He saw his shoulder relax from it's stiff position. He sat up in bed and looked up at Harry, "Okay."

Harry slowly lowered himself to sit at the edge of the bed beside his husband. He turned to look at him. He could barely make him out in the dark without his glasses.

"What did you want to talk about?" Draco murmured, a tone of fatigue in his words.

"What's been going on with you lately?" Harry asked gently. He wanted to reach out and rest a hand on his husband, but he felt like it was the last thing Draco wanted.

Draco laughed dryly, "Like you don't know."

"I genuinely don't Draco, please. What did I do?"

He stared blankly back, his expression unreadable to his husband without his glasses. "Y-you … you really don't do you?"

Harry was getting desperate. Merlin knew they had had bad fights in the past. It had even been their trademark interaction when they were young to fight. But it had been a long time since they had fought this bad, and it had been getting worse. They hadn't had sex in six weeks, not even a kiss actually. It was not the longest they had gone without sleeping together, but it was certainly the longest they had gone without any ounce of affection. They no longer curled up together even in sleep, didn't hold hands, didn't hug each other, Draco didn't even play with Harry's hair anymore. Harry wanted to just touch his husband, to just reach out and rest his fingers against his cheek, but he was afraid. He felt that something had changed and he would only damage things more by bridging the divide. So he had waited these past few weeks for Draco to offer an olive branch, but none had come.

Harry hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees as he buried his face in his hands. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what had started this whole mess. But he knew there hadn't been any fight. He knew there was no forgotten anniversary, no forgotten birthday, no squabble over chores, no child left at school by mistake. He couldn't think of a single discrepancy. "I've thought and thought until I give myself a headache and I can't remember anything happening that could have caused you to hate me like this. It feels like it did before. When you snapped at me last week I almost called you Malfoy and I knew if I did you'd call me Potter. As if we don't have children that share those names." Without meaning to, Harry had begun to panic. His chest felt tight as tears escaped from his eyes and his breaths came too quickly.

Draco suddenly jumped out of bed. Harry's head popped up, afraid that he would see his husband storm out of the room. A dark, tainted word circled in the back of his mind as he saw his husband's vague silhouette turn the light on in their closet and ruffle through things. Harry's heart rippled and shook beneath his ribs and his fears told him surely his husband was looking for divorce papers. But when Draco turned around he wasn't holding anything as large as a piece of paper. Instead, he was holding a small package in his hands. Draco knelt in front of Harry so he could see him more clearly. Harry looked down at him, tears still resting on the precipice of his lower eyelids.

"I put this little box on top of your drawers," He said, nodding toward the small plastic drawers they kept in the closet. Each if theirs was filled with nothing but underwear, socks, and the like. "But I think something must have fallen on it or it got knocked around somehow. I just found it wedged into the corner of the closet behind your drawers. Harry, I thought you had seen it and ignored it. I was heartbroken. I thought…" Draco faded off, unable to finish the sentence. The anguish in his tone was unmistakable, his pain was incredibly real.

"Why would you be heartbroken over a box? I don't understand."

"Oh you fool," Draco laughed slightly with a small smile, "Open it." He pushed the box into his husband's hand. As soon as it rested in his palm, Harry knew. It was a small velvet box. He opened it to see his original engagement ring resting within it. After they had married, he had opted to no longer wear it. He felt weird having two rings on at once, so he had kept it locked safely in a small box with his cufflinks and a few fancier watches. That was where it had been for years. When had he removed it? Harry noticed the ring was shining brighter than it had been when it had first been born into creation with a powerful transfiguration spell. Draco had clearly taken it in to see that it be in peak condition again. Harry looked back at his husband who had adjusted to be on one knee instead of both, "I wanted to ask you to marry me again, to renew our vows next year. I thought that you had seen it and thrown it aside, without a word. I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm a fool. I should have talked to you about it, I shouldn't have assumed."

"Of course you shouldn't have," Harry half laughed, his heart's speed as fast as it had been a moment before but for a totally different reason, "Are you trying to tell me you wanted to propose to me again and renew our vows on our tenth anniversary?"

"Yes. Will you do it all over again with me Harry? I thought we could use a reminder of how much we still love each other."

Harry put the box aside on the bed and slipped the ring on for the first time in near a decade. He moved onto the floor in front of his husband and cradled his face in his hands for the first time in weeks, "Of course, of course. We're both fucking idiots though, you're not to blame completely. I should have talked to you about it sooner. I'm so sorry my love, I'm so sorry. These past few weeks have been horrible without you."

"I know, I know," Draco let out a tremulous sigh, "But it's okay. We may be a pair of perfect idiots, but we learn from our mistakes, right?"

"No shit, I swear I'll never let things get like this again."

"I won't make assumptions like that again either," He echoed. Without any more words to say, they both leaned in at the same time and kissed for the first time in almost two months. The lovers fell into bed awhile later, finally at peace with each other. Draco wrapped his body close around Harry and didn't let him go all through the night.

…

The children were out of the house by lunchtime the following day. Draco was boiling hot water for tea in the kitchen when the fireplace in the living room turned green. Harry greeted Teddy with a hug as soon as he appeared, "How's my favorite godson doing?" Harry asked while he held him close. He realized that Teddy was standing almost as tall as him. For Harry's own ego, he hoped Teddy wouldn't get taller than him but he knew it was a matter of time. Remus hard hardly been a short man.

"I'm your only godson," Teddy rolled his eyes but smiled as he pulled away from the overly affectionate hug. He pretended to not like such affections, but only around his friends. His hair was it's natural mousy brown, no flamboyant colors today. His apparel was still relatively rebellious however: ripped denim, his mother's old combat boots, and a bright yellow shirt for some obscure band. "I'm fine, just getting ready for school to start up."

"Dropping any classes after third year?"

Teddy shrugged, "I'm thinking of dropping divination. Not really my thing. To tell you the truth, I think it's a bunch of bull—" The tea whistled and drowned out Teddy's curse. Harry lead Teddy to the dining room and sat down as Draco finished off the tea. "Y'know, I never fancied divination myself."

"Yeah, says the one who had the biggest prophecy of all time made about him," Teddy mocked, "You act like you're not written in my textbooks."

Harry blushed, "It wasn't the biggest prophecy of all time. Am I really in your divination books?"

"Yeah, but only briefly," Teddy said with a shrug as Draco set cups on the table for them. Harry wasn't surprised that word had never gotten out that it was Trelawney herself that had made the prophecy. He knew deep down she was destined to be doubted, despite the alarming accuracy of many of her prophecies. "Hey cousin, how're you?" Teddy asked genially.

"Tired," Draco answered truthfully.

"Caelum still cries a lot?"

"We have bets he won't stop crying until he's five," Draco mused as he poured Teddy a cup of tea. It was bizarre to think how he could have been close with Teddy's mom by now if she had survived the war. He had heard enough about her in recent years to know she was an incredible woman. Harry once told him point blank that, if they had grown up around each other, Tonks would have put him in his place long ago.

"You know, grandma says I could babysit here and there if I get ahead on my classwork. I don't fancy coming every weekend but I could here and there for when you guys have, y'know, date night or whatever."

"That's very kind of you Teddy," Harry said, "We may just take you up on that."

Draco sat across from Teddy at the table while Harry sat between them at the head of the table. Teddy couldn't help but pick up on a strange feeling in the room, "So, uh, where's Lil and Ly?" He asked. He may have been fifteen but he was fond of the girls. He always had great fun with them, which was half the reason he had agreed to babysit.

"Oh, their grandparents' home. There was something we wanted to talk with you about," Harry started, "It feels like ages since we've caught up, Teddy. Especially since Caelum. You've grown up so fast. We, meaning your grandmother and cousin and I, have noticed that you've reached a certain age where there are some things you need to learn that Hogwarts doesn't teach."

He knew better than to think he was going to learn some rare magic from his family. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what this conversation would be about. His cheeks flushed, "Listen, whatever it is you're about to say, I already know enough about it."

Draco and Harry exchanged a look. The latter sighed softly, "Well, Teddy, do tell. What do you think we want to talk to you about?"

Teddy ran his hand through the back of his hair and sighed, looking down at the table, "You were going to talk to me about … y'know," His hair turned a rosy crimson of embarrassment. He whispered almost imperceptibly, "Sex and stuff."

"Yes, that's what we aimed to talk to you about. So, if you know so much, why don't you tell us what you know and we will fill in whatever blanks there may be," Harry said calmly. He was managing to not get too awkward about it, meanwhile Draco was squirming in his seat wishing he could be anywhere else in the world.

Teddy's plan to say he knew enough to throw them off the topic had failed. Now he was being forced to talk about it when it was the last thing he wanted to do. He continued to stare pointedly at the table, "I don't know … I know like if I'm not careful I could get a girl pregnant. That's about it."

"Well, there's a lot more to it than that," Harry stifled a smile.

"Oh, I mean, I guess so. Like, I could be like you guys. I could like guys. Then I don't have to worry about getting anyone pregnant."

"Teddy, sweetheart, it's not that black and white," Harry couldn't help himself from chuckling a bit. "First of all, sexuality doesn't work that way. Your cousin Draco, now he's gay all the way through. Right?"

Teddy looked up shyly as Draco smiled, "It's true. A girl in my year once threw herself at me and I almost threw her out the window as a result." He was exaggerating. When Pansy Parkinson had quite literally jumped on him and kissed him randomly one year he had almost screamed in sheer terror. He could get along with girls well enough, but the thought of being romantically involved with a woman was repulsive. He was deeply grateful that there had been a more clinical option bring Caelum in the world. He never would have had him if it had required actually having sex with a woman.

This comment made Teddy smile slightly.

"I, on the other hand," Harry spoke again, "Have dated men and women. Didn't you know Ginny and I were together during the war?"

Teddy blinked and frowned, "Ginny? As in Ginny Weasley-Boot? That Ginny?"

"Yeah, her," Harry was bemused by his shock. He had forgotten that it wasn't common knowledge to everyone.

"I'm confused,"

"Well, so was I at the time to be honest," Harry smirked, "To put it simply, I've found both genders attractive throughout my life. I generally suppressed the part of me that was attracted to men though. Sexual orientation is not simple. A lot of people think it is a couple boxes that you can be put in or some labels you can wear, but it isn't. It's more of a spectrum. So throughout my life, I've gone from being more interested in women to more interested in men and back and forth."

"But you've been married to Draco for forever, how can that work? Doesn't that make you just gay?"

Harry shook his head, "No. My sexual orientation has nothing to do with my current partner. I still find women attractive despite being married to a man for near of a decade. So, you may find you fall into that category. You may sometimes feel attracted to girls, and that's okay. Sometimes you may feel attracted to boys, and that's fine too. These days, you're not likely to get a lot of shit for it, especially at Hogwarts. The magical community has generally always been more inviting to queer people than the muggle world. Although, even the muggle world is starting to come to its sense on that. I don't know if you keep tabs on the muggles yet, but they just made it legal for couples like Draco and I to get married here. Rumor has it other countries are stepping up to the plate as well."

"Harry," Draco said gently, reaching out and taking his hand. Harry had been a bit overeager about the news. In fact, just that morning, they had agreed to renew their vows in a year as well as get a muggle marriage license. It wasn't strictly necessary that they did since they barely had any involvement with the muggle world, but he wanted that muggle marriage license anyway.

Harry caught himself and squeezed Draco's hand gratefully, "Anyhow," He returned to the subject at hand, "Beyond just figuring out your sexuality, there's a lot more that comes with reaching sexual maturity. Some things you've no doubt noticed by now. But there's more that goes into sex than just avoiding a pregnancy. You also have to be aware that there's the risk of getting all kinds of diseases that are only transmitted via sexual acts."

"There is?"

Clearly his 'education' on sexuality had been similar to Harry's at that age: late night gossiping with his classmates in the boys dormitory, "Yes, Teddy. Most of them are treatable, especially in the wizarding world, but there are some that cannot be undone and you'll be stuck with for the rest of your life if you aren't careful."

Teddy looked horrified, which was exactly what Harry had been going for, "So I just shouldn't have sex with anyone ever?"

"No, not quite. But it's best to use protection. Listen, you have to understand that as your family we are all of the mind that you're too young to start having sex. However, if you do decide to start engaging in sexual activity, we would rather you were safe about it. Do not tell Andromeda I'm giving you these, because I'm not sure how she would feel about it. But I think we can all agree it is far better to be safe than sorry," Harry explained as he fished a small latched box out of his pocket and slid it across the table to Teddy. He didn't need to open it, he knew exactly what was in it. His hair and face were both a bright shade of pink again.

"Is it… Harry is it bad to want to have sex?"

"Oh, Teddy, no," Harry said with a sad smile, "Of course not. That's always what happens at this age. Hormones are a bitch, they will make you act insane at times. It's okay to have urges, but you need to know yourself well enough to know when you're ready for that."

Teddy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding eye contact again, "But how exactly do I know if I'm ready or not?"

Harry looked at Draco. They were fifteen the first time they fooled around. It had been so long since then. They had agreed awhile ago that they were idiots for messing around back then. Neither of them knew what the fuck they were doing, and neither of them had been ready for it. They had once had a great laugh over how stupid they had both been. Admittedly, while they hadn't been ready it was part of the reason they had finally figured out that they had romantic feelings for each other as well. Their entire relationship had been rather backwards, it was hardly the model for Teddy to follow. They silently asked each other what they should and should not tell him in this moment.

Draco, surprisingly, spoke first, "Listen Teddy, I made the mistake of becoming sexually active when I was really young. I wish that I hadn't, if only because it was a really unhealthy coping mechanism. When I finally felt ready, when I was about eighteen or nineteen, was actually when I found myself the least sexually active. I guess I realized that I only wanted that sort of intimacy with someone who could handle a certain amount of emotional intimacy as well. I didn't want to share my body with someone that I couldn't share my entire self with. However, there's nothing wrong with what I did. I was safe about it, so there was little consequence to my choosing to be sexually active at your age. It really only had a negative impact on me, and some of my partners," He cast a glance at Harry.

Teddy, unfortunately, had been looking up and caught this, "Wait, wait. You two? Back then? No way."

"Listen, we're not about to sit here and preach to you about abstinence when we are not models for that. We were reckless boys, filled with a lot of hatred and angst at that age. In all honesty, sex was a weapon we used on each other as teenagers. It wasn't until we had grown up that it became an act of love."

Teddy frowned and looked at both of them. He had a hard time imagining them as teenagers fooling around. It was a gross thought. But he also recognized that he himself definitely wasn't ready. He recognized a will in himself to wait until, as Draco had put it, someone came along who could handle both kinds of intimacy. "Okay, I guess that all sort of makes sense. But I have one last question."

"Go ahead," Harry encouraged.

"You guys don't still have sex do you?" Teddy asked squeamishly.

Draco burst into laughter without meaning to and covered his mouth quickly. Harry just smiled and shook his head, "Nah Teddy. People stop having sex at twenty five. No need after that."

"Okay I know you're joking, but I'm going to pretend you're serious for my stomach's sake," Teddy said with a grumble, "Can I go home now? This has been excruciating."

"Sure kid," Harry assured him as he stood, "Just know that you can ask us anything any time. I know Andromeda is even more queasy about it than you are, so don't worry about writing any time you're unsure of something."

"I hope I won't be," Teddy grumbled as he quietly pocketed the latched box and followed Harry back into the living room toward the fire place. Harry started the fire for Teddy and threw the floo powder in with a murmur under his breath.

"One more hug for the road?" Harry offered as he turned to his godson. He did this deliberately and laughed when Teddy quickly shook his head and headed for the green flames, "No thanks Harry. I'll see you later." He hopped in the flames and disappeared. Harry was still laughing as Draco entered the room.

"Well that was less horrible than I expected," Draco said as the fire was extinguished.

"To be fair," Harry shrugged, "We didn't technically lie. We haven't had sex in awhile."

"Y'know the kids are gone a couple more hours," Draco said with a wistful smile. They had been too emotionally spent the night before to actually sleep together. It had still been six weeks since they had made love. Harry just smiled and started for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh piece it together genius," Harry laughed as he slipped out of his shirt and threw it over the banister before disappearing out of sigh upstairs. Draco charged up the stairs as Harry laughed even harder

* * *

 _A/N: I know this on_ _e was a bit of a rollercoaster, so I apologize if it seemed like too much at times. This chapter was really important to me, but I didn't know it until I was in the thick of writing it. I've always seen Harry as bisexual, an orientation I personally identify with, and I wanted him to be able to make it clear to Teddy that it's normal and okay to be somewhere in between the spectrum. If you're queer and reading this and you're irritated that Harry didn't explain the rest of the sexual orientations fear not - there's more where that came from._


	14. Babysitting

November 30th, 2013

Harry and Draco took Teddy up on his babysitting offer in late November. He had managed to get a bit ahead on his homework, despite the mounting pressure of doing well in his OWL year. He had been a bit annoyed at the letter waiting for him in the Owlery to come to his godfather's house and watch the kids. He had hoped to go into Hogsmeade with his friends that weekend. They were going to load up on sweets and he was wondering if he may finally cross paths with Victoire there. Being two years apart and in separate houses (Hermione had guessed correctly; Victoire was sorted into Ravenclaw) they rarely saw each other in school. He loved his friends he had made in school, but he missed his childhood friend from time to time. She had finally been able to go into Hogsmeade this year and yet he still hadn't seen her there. They always seemed to miss each other somehow. But he had promised his godfather and cousin he would watch their kids should they ask, so he wrote back and assured he would be there. Minerva gave him permission to use the floo system in her office and on that Saturday afternoon when he could have been engorging himself on pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs he found himself striding into his godfather's living room.

They left him with a few general instructions on how to take care of Caelum, reminding him to feed him a few solids but mostly milk when he was hungry and changing his diapers even if he didn't particularly want to. Given that it was their fourth child, the Potter-Malfoys were not half as concerned with leaving their children in someone else's care as they had been when their twins were born. They left shortly after Teddy arrived, telling him to reheat the leftovers in the fridge for dinner.

Teddy sighed as he turned from the front door they had departed from to his cousins sitting around the living room. Lily and Lyra were eager to have their favorite cousin over and immediately roped him into playing a board game with them on the floor. However, within five minutes of playing with them he heard Caelum start crying from his playpen across the room. He got up and checked on Caelum. He picked him up, "What's wrong buddy?" But as soon as he was close enough he could smell the problem. He rolled his eyes. He absolutely hated changing diapers. He tried not to think about the fact that he could have been eating sweets right now and reluctantly grabbed a fresh nappy and laid Caelum on the floor.

"Do you want help Teddy?" Lily offered.

"No Lily, I got this go play with your sister."

"She doesn't wanna play anymore. She says she'll just beat me and she doesn't wanna hear me cry."

"Well go play by yourselves then. I'm a bit busy right now," Teddy sighed as he finished putting on a clean diaper. As he did, James started howling. Teddy turned to see Lyra standing over James panicking. He had apparently fallen off the sofa while playing around with her. Teddy turned back to Caelum only to find he had stuck his hand in the dirty diaper beside him and gotten his own shit on his hands. Teddy quickly grabbed a baby wipe and cleaned his hand off before rolling the diaper up and throwing it in a nearby bin. He put Caelum back in his play pen and turned to address the screaming three year old. Lyra was trying to comfort her brother but only adding to the noise in the room. Lily was desperately trying to explain the situation to Teddy and he reached his limit.

"Lily, Lyra, out in the yard, NOW."

"Why?" Lyra snapped angrily, her tone only making her brother cry more.

"Because you're both getting in the way. I need to be able to take care of your baby brothers," Teddy explained as his hair turned an ominous dark red. He picked up James and tried his best to comfort him, "I know you're just trying to help, but it would be more helpful if you gave me room to take care of them."

Lily looked crestfallen while Lyra looked livid. She walked over to the closet and grabbed their snow boots and coats. Lily followed her outside shortly thereafter, to Teddy's relief. He managed to calm the toddler down several minutes later. As soon as he did Caelum cried for food. Teddy brought him into the dining room and set him down in his high chair, sprinkling a small handful of cereal on his tray and a sippy cup. He turned and glanced out the sliding glass doors to see the girls talking animatedly in the yard. He thought little of it and went to check on James.

Little did Teddy know, however, that the girls were planning a breakout.

"There's a movie theater three blocks away, Lil. If we just sneak through the neighbors yards nobody will see us. It'll be fine."

"How do we pay to get in?"

"I have a couple ideas, we'll see when we get there."

"I don't know Lyra. Won't we get in trouble?"

"Teddy won't even notice we're gone. He's paying too much attention to the boys."

"Wouldn't daddies get mad when they find out?"

"Lil, they won't find out. Come on, are you gonna be a big chicken and sit here being cold and bored or are you gonna be toasty warm in a theater watching a movie with your cool sister?"

Lily sighed and crossed her arms looking back at the house then back at her sister. She relented with a nod. Lyra grinned and lead the way. Luckily for them, it had been a brown winter so far and it wasn't terribly cold outside. Certainly cold enough to warrant a jacket but not enough to cause great damage if they had forgotten their coats. Lyra sure enough remembered the route to the theater. They had gone to it enough times over the years that her internal map of their neighborhood centered around it. She marched through the neighbors yards with Lily meekly following behind. Given the lack of snow, they didn't leave so much as a shoe print anywhere.

"Are you still scared Lily?"

"Yeah."

A sister that was friendlier may have provided some small comfort. But Lyra did not see eye to eye with her twin. "Well get over it. No turning back now, we're almost there."

Sure enough they reached the cinema in due time. They approached from the fence of the yard they stood in. On the other side of the fence was the cinema. The house the yard belonged to had a thick band of trees in the back that Lily and Lyra were hiding in. Lyra looked around and sure enough found a spot in the fence that had been ripped open. It was the perfect size to fit small kids. They easily slipped under and found themselves in the dingey alley behind their favorite theater.

"Okay Lyra," Lily said as she put her hands on her hips, "Now how do we get in?"

"I know what I'm doing. Follow my lead,"Lyra assured as she headed to the front of the theater. The girls walked in through the front doors unnoticed. The ticket seller in the window had been daydreaming and hadn't been able to notice the two small humans walking in. There were a fair few people there on a Saturday afternoon, and a fair number were little girls with their families.

"Just act normal and everything will work out fine," Lyra whispered to her sister, "Now, what should we see?"

They both craned their necks to stare at the listings on the digital screens. Lily grabbed Lyra's arm and jumped with excitement, "Frozen, we can see Frozen!" They had seen sneaks of it the last time they had seen a Disney film in theaters and Lily had been thrilled.

"I dunno Lil," Lyra hedged, "That Carrie movie looks cool." She knew her sister was eager to see Frozen but all she could pay attention to was the movie poster on the wall of a girls face with streaks of blood on it. Lily did not see this poster. She had not heard of Carrie and assumed it was another girl movie. So she reluctantly agreed. They followed the crowds into the hall and found the theater where Carrie had just started and snuck right in.

Teddy hated to admit when he had messed things up. He dreaded disappointing others. Which was why when he noticed that the girls had disappeared he didn't contact their parents or his grandmother for help. Instead, he bundled the boys up, put Caelum in a baby Bjorn strapped to his chest, carried James on his back, and barely managed to throw the invisibility cloak over all three of them. Caelum quietly sucked on his binky and fell asleep against Teddy as he walked down the sidewalk into town.

"Where do you think they would have gone James?"

"Maybe movies?" James suggested. "Daddies and us go a lot."

"And where is that?"

"Uhhh," James hummed in thought before pointing straight over Teddy's shoulder. "That way. Is by a wee woo."

"A what?"

"Y'know cars that go wee woo wee woo."

"An ambulance?"

"Uhh no,"

"Police station?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Okay. Looking for a police station, got it."

The odd band of boys made their way up the road toward the cinema. Little was Teddy aware just how long the girls had already been gone for. He had been so preoccupied caring for the little ones that he had forgotten about the girls for a fair stretch of time. By the time he reached the theater the girls were just sneaking out of it. He hid a bit in the shadows and put James down. He pulled off the cloak and balled it up in his coat pocket before taking James' hand and walking up to the girls. Lily saw them coming first and burst into tears.

Lyra turned around and looked up at Teddy innocently, "Oh, hey Teddy. What's up?"

Teddy glowered down at her ominously. He was too angry to speak at first, so Lyra filled the silence, "You didn't tell us we couldn't…"

"You know what you did was wrong." Lyra tried to interrupt to argue. "Come on, we're going home. March." Teddy spat out before she could utter a syllable. The girls reluctantly hung their heads and followed Teddy back down the road to their house. James didn't seem to care as he tripped along the road holding Teddy's hand on his left and Lyra's hand on his right. If he had been older, Lyra would have undoubtedly told him off for ratting them out. She had almost gotten away with the whole thing. She had no idea how panicked Teddy had been when he realized that the girls were missing. Rather than spending his time freaking out, however, he went into action mode to find them. Had they not been at his movie theater he would have done everything he could to find them until all else failed and he had to admit defeat and ask for an adult witch or wizard's help.

When they finally got back to the house it was getting late. It had been dark out for awhile given the winter sunset, but it was officially time for James and Caelum to be put to bed. Lily and Lyra were allowed to be up an hour later than their brothers with a whopping nine thirty curfew. "Stay here," Teddy said as they kicked off coats and shoes, "Wait on the couch. I will deal with you when I'm done putting your brothers to bed."

He hauled James and Caelum up the stairs to their bedroom. He gently removed Caelum from the baby bjorn and put him in his crib. He was already asleep and didn't stir a wink as he was laid down. James had been fussing about going to bed, taking his sweet time to change into his pyjamas. But as soon as Teddy got him to crawl into bed and tucked him in, he gave up any sort of resistance and fell asleep almost instantaneously. Teddy couldn't help but be softened by the sight of the sleeping babes. He kissed their foreheads before he left the room, gently shutting it closed behind him. As he headed downstairs he remembered the misbehaving girls he was about to scold and his softened complexion hardened again.

He found the girls each sitting on the couch but in entirely different ways. Lily was sitting bolt upright, with her hands folded in her lap and her head down, looking the picture of sorrow. Lyra, meanwhile, was leaning back as casually as possible with half her body leaned against the armrest with her one knee propped up. Teddy stood in front of them with his arms folded across his chest, "Do you know why what you did was wrong?"

"Yes, because you told us to go to the yard and that was it. We shouldn't have wandered. Daddies are always telling us to stay close, we should have known better," Lily said immediately.

Lyra glanced from her sister to Teddy with a smug smile, "I don't see what's wrong with it. You didn't tell us _not_ to go to the theater."

"That's not the point. You know what you did was wrong, you're just looking for a way to make yourself out as innocent when you aren't. Besides, it's not for me to decide what the proper punishment is, it's your dads. For now though, I think I'm justified in sending you to bed early."

Lyra groaned while Lily sighed. Lyra tried to put up a fight but when Teddy put his foot down she reluctantly listened, stomping up the stairs to their bedroom. Teddy called up after them, "I'll be checking in, no staying up reading!"

Teddy collapsed on the sofa and sighed. He was exhausted. The kids had taken everything out of him. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to never reproduce. He privately suspected that was exactly why his godfather had asked him to babysit in the first place. With excellent timing, Draco and Harry stepped through the front door only moments later having apparated into the yard. Teddy jumped up from the couch and greeted them as they came in.

"How'd it go then?" Harry asked. He had a good feeling that it had been a disaster and he had spent a good portion of the date debating with his husband which kids would be more of a pain in the ass for Teddy.

"Oh, y'know, not too bad. Caelum was fussy a bit, but I was able to work with it. James fell off the couch and was a bit hysterical for awhile. He's fine, he didn't get hurt - just surprised I imagine."

"And the girls?" Draco asked.

Teddy hesitated, looking away, "Well, that was what went less smoothly."

"What'd they do?" Harry sighed.

"Well, they were both getting in the way of me looking after the boys. You know, they're younger, so I was paying more attention to them. Anyway, I needed to just get the girls out of my hair cuz they were helping more than they were hurting so I asked them to go wait out in the yard. I, uh, ended up so preoccupied with the boys that by the time I checked back in on them they … well they were gone." Before Harry or Draco could go into full blown panic Teddy added, "But I found them! The rascals ran down the road and apparently snuck into the cinema. I sent them to bed early as punishment, but I figured it was better for you to decide what to do with them in the long run."

"Let me get this straight," Harry said, "You left them out of your sight long enough for them to walk to the cinema and catcha film?"

Teddy stammered and looked away before guiltily mumbling, "Yes."

Draco looked to be seriously restraining himself from an outburst. A vein in Harry's head clenched repeatedly as he steadied himself, "You do realize your carelessness could have cost the lives of our children?"

"I know…"

"What if someone had snatched them? What if they had gotten lost and stranded in the cold? They could have _died_ , Teddy," Harry stressed.

Teddy's hair turned a deep gray that they had never seen on him before. Neither were immediately aware of what the color may mean. Teddy's shoulders were hunched as he looked away and his head lowered. He felt horrible for fucking up so badly. He knew it was his fault. But he knew there was nothing he could do to change what happened, "I'm sorry Harry. I just wanted to take care of James and Caelum. I was an idiot. I made a huge mistake. I'm so sorry."

Harry and Draco both relaxed. They exchanged a look. They knew that ultimately no harm had come to the girls, and that Teddy clearly wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Harry rested a hand on his teenage godson's shoulder. Teddy glanced up as his hair shifted to a near black. Harry smiled weakly, "Thank you for apologizing, but don't beat yourself up over this. We made mistakes with them too. They're safe, that's all that matters. Thank you for watching the kids while we were out," Harry added, "But perhaps it's best if you go back to Hogwarts?" Teddy agreed as his hair color shifted to his natural shade. He said goodbye to his family before quietly slipping into the fireplace with a handful of floo powder.

Harry and Draco headed upstairs once he left to check on the girls. Draco peeked in first, quietly opening the door. The girls were surprisingly quiet for a moment until he started to hear a faint cry. He knew immediately it was Lily and headed toward her bed. He knelt beside her and rested a hand on her tiny shoulder. She screeched and sobbed suddenly, jumping up in bed. "What's the matter?" Draco asked in alarm.

"I thought you were Carrie," Lily sobbed.

"Who's Carrie?" Draco asked with a frown of confusion.

Lyra sat up in bed now, "We went to go see Carrie at the theater and she's being a big baby. Lily, she isn't real. She isn't going to come here and kill you."

"What?" Draco asked in shock as Harry entered after overhearing such an alarming sentence for him near-seven year old.

"You took your sister to see a horror film?" Harry addressed Lyra, dumbfounded.

"Well she wanted to see Frozen but I thought it looked dumb so I talked her into seeing Carrie, I didn't know she was going to cry half the time."

"Lyra!" Harry said angrily, unable to stop himself ahead of time, "And let me guess, it was your idea to sneak off to the theater?"

"Yeah, it was," Lyra said without flinching.

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. He turned to Draco and they silently agreed to terms. Harry knelt beside Lyra's bed as Draco knelt beside Lily's. Draco quietly comforted his baby girl, reminding her that it was just a movie and such things were not possible, that he would never let anybody hurt her. Harry, meanwhile, had to dole out punishment for Lyra, "You're not to play with your school friends for the next month, no more movies at all for a month, and if you try to pull a similar shenanigan between now and Christmas you won't be going to Christmas at all." He was mostly lying with the last one. He wasn't about to inflict the rage of the grandparents by not bringing one of their grandkids to the holidays. It simply was the perfect threat to ensure she behaved for once.

Sure enough, Lyra looked completely shocked that her dad would dole out such an offer. She was positively outraged, "I didn't do anything wrong!" She protested. "Teddy was being really mean for throwing us out of the house. I just wanted to have fun."

"You know I'm all for you and your sister playing together. But you could have just stayed in the yard and played a game. There was no need to sneak off like that. You put you and your sister in terrible danger. You know very well that the world is not always a safe place, I would think that the movie you saw tonight would prove that well enough." Privately, Harry was more scared by the fact that Lyra didn't seem remotely bothered by the blood and gore she had seen on the big screen than the idea of them walking to the movies alone.

Lyra finally started to understand why her father was so upset and sighed. It was starting to register in her young mind that she maybe did the wrong thing, despite how much she hated admitting she had been wrong.

"So you're being punished so that you learn that there are consequences to your actions. Hopefully it'll teach you to not act like that again," Harry explained calmly. Lyra nodded without a word. Harry reached out and wrapped his arms around his daughter, "I love you, Lyra."

"Love you too, daddy," She mumbled before turning away and curling up in bed. Harry stood and waited for Draco to finish kissing their daughter goodnight before they switched sides and said goodnight to the opposite twin.

A beat later the two dads collapsed in their bed, not bothering to take off their clothes. Harry turned and looked at his husband, "I don't get it. They have none of our genetics and yet Lyra is so your child. I haven't a kid more destined for Slytherin since I met you."

Draco rolled his eyes, "I hate that you're right about that. She'll do better there though, she'll learn to reign in some of the antics and put those lofty goals to good use."

"Lofty goals?"

"I don't know, what seven year old can so easily strategize and march their way to what they want without hesitation? I'm not saying she was well behaved or in the right, but it is almost commendable that she was able to at all, nearly without being caught. Lily, meanwhile, was trying to keep the peace. She didn't want to misbehave, she knew what the right thing to do was. She couldn't be more of a Gryffindor."

Harry laughed, "Uh-huh, sure. Even though she cried the whole time, definitely a brave Gryffindor child."

"Neville," Draco responded simply.

"He still had bravery where it counted, even in first year. Though, I suppose, the situations were similar. Maybe she will be Gryffindor, who knows."

"Time will tell I suppose," Draco yawned as he crawled out of his clothes and under the covers. Harry followed suit and the two were sound asleep side by side in a matter of minutes.


	15. A Day in the Life

October 17th, 2015

Teddy tucked his books and quill on top of the trunk at the foot of his bed. He had finished up the last of next week's homework. He had all of the afternoon left to his devices for what felt like the first time in ages. In truth, school had kept him enormously busy since it began. He had made his family proud with his OWL results two summers ago, managing to score nine OWLs without a single failing score. According to some of his professors, he showed very similar results to his father and mother. He knew at his core he was making them proud as well. Unfortunately, nine OWLs meant quite a few NEWTs. He dropped a few subjects and ultimately was taking five NEWT classes, all of which had kept him extremely preoccupied last year and this year. Until now.

Now, he was fortunate enough to be heading onto the grounds in the crisp October air. He had a date that he had been working hard to be able to accomodate around his study schedule. He hurried down to the Black Lake where they had agreed to meet. He turned the corner of the path and found his date waiting for him, their back to him. Teddy beamed as he approached and gently rested his hand on their shoulder.

Kiernan Reid turned and grinned at Teddy. Kiernan was a Gryffindor student, and the first person Teddy had ever met who didn't identify as either a girl or boy. They preferred gender neutral terms. He had met them in their NEWT class for Transfiguration, a class that previously had always been taught with the Ravenclaws. NEWT classes, however, generally had smaller numbers and mixed sixth and seventh years as well as multiple houses. They had begun talking in group study sessions in the library. Kiernan had sought him out, eager to talk to him about what it was like to be a metamorphmagus. They had always wished they could change parts of themselves. Kiernan had been the one to ask him out a week before.

"Ready to go?" Teddy asked kindly.

Kiernan took his hands in theirs, "Now I am."

Teddy blushed slightly, flattered by the smooth move. They headed away from the Black Lake down into Hogsmeade. They had plans to go visit the book shop in the village and pick out books for each other.

"So is this what you naturally look like?" Kiernan asked. "Is that a rude question? I don't want to be insensitive."

Teddy just shrugged, "No, it's fine. Most people ask. Metamorphmagi are not common, so people usually have a lot of questions. This is what I look like, yeah. But I used to make my hair look like this," He paused as his went from a ruffled medium brown to a spiky neon pink. "To honor my mom. She's the one that I get this ability from. This was how she did her hair when she was my age, or at least that's what my grandma says."

"It looks good on you," Kiernan grinned, "Have you ever had your hair long?"

"Not really actually, I usually keep it short for my grandma's sake."

"Oh I bet you would look good with raven locks," Kiernan suggested. "Give it a try."

Teddy hummed and shook his head until his hair grew down to his shoulders in black waves, "How about that?"

"Oh god, nevermind, that's awful!" Kiernan laughed. He couldn't help but laugh with them and bring it back to its natural form. "Sorry if you get that a lot. I bet the Hufflepuffs have been asking you to do weird shit since you started school."

"Yeah," Teddy shrugged again, "I don't really mind. I mean I've sort of been entertaining crowds with it since I was little. Y'know Victoire Weasley?"

"Oh one of the non-ginger Weasleys?" Kiernan said seriously.

"Yeah, her."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Well, my grandma would bring me to the Weasley gatherings all the time. Grandma's really close with Molly Weasley. So when I was little I grew up playing with the other Weasley kids and Victoire used to always be really amused by how I could turn my face into a duck bill. I used to make fun of her for it all the time."

"You two were close?"

"Uh, yeah, growing up we were. Once she got sorted into Ravenclaw that was kind of the end of it. She's younger too, so we never had classes together. Just kinda grew apart."

"So you don't have any siblings or cousins or anything?" Kiernan asked, "You got an adoptive family in the Weasleys?"

"Sort of. I don't think of the Weasleys as family though, more like family friends. My godfather's family is more of my adoptive family. He actually is married to my cousin, funny enough."

"Yeah? Just the one cousin?"

"One cousin, one aunt, one uncle. That's it. My dad didn't have any siblings and his parents were dead long before I was born. But on the plus side my cousin and godfather have four kids so it's kind of like having more cousins."

"Yeah? Do they go here?"

He laughed, "Oh no, they're all super young. The oldest aren't going to be in school for another couple of years."

"Oh cute," Kiernan said fondly, "They're all little."

"Yeah they're cute but they're kind of annoying right now," He smirked as they made their way into the village and headed for the bookshop.

As they headed in they passed the Three Broomsticks and nearly ran into a few students as they exited, "Sorry, our bad. Should've been looking," Teddy said automatically. The Hufflepuff in him was too polite sometimes. The trio of students looked up at the couple they ran into. Kiernan happened to recognize a young Gryffindor among them from their common room and greeted her shyly. Teddy finally realized the group of girls were fifth years, and Victoire was among them.

"Teddy?"

"Vic?"

"Taking this pretty girl out to Three Broomsticks?" Victoire asked with a knowing smile.

Kiernan cleared their throat. Teddy blushed again, "Uh, no. I'm taking this person on a date further down the road. Didn't know you'd be in the area."

Victoire shrugged, "Yeah, I pop by now and again with the girls. Listen, we'll catch up another time. See ya later Teddy." She and her friends turned and walked away. After an awkwardly quiet moment Teddy and Kiernan continued down the road. Finally, Teddy spoke, "Sorry she misgendered you. If it's any consolation, I haven't talked to her since last Christmas before I knew you so I don't think she knows you're non binary."

Kiernan squeezed his hand gently in theirs, "It's fine Teddy. I don't really hold it against strangers. You corrected her anyway, which was very kind of you."

"I mean, it's not like I'm noble or anything. I just know how much boys hate being called girls by accident and vice versa. I kind of can be whatever I want to be, which can be nice. I've made my body into a girls body before, just to see what it was like. It felt wrong and weird for me. So I can understand how some people may feel like they were born in the wrong body or like parts don't belong to them. I dunno. I guess I'm just trying to say that I think I get it and I'm not some great guy for just trying to empathize."

"No, that's exactly what makes you a good guy. Most people don't try to understand people who are different from them. I mean, look at the blood status problems there used to be or the house elf problems going on right now. People don't usually bother to empathize like you do. It's what makes you special. It's part of the reason I wanted to get to know you better."

Teddy smiled to Kiernan as they found their way into the local book shop. They agreed to part ways and find a book they thought would be best suited for their date. Teddy found himself on the upper floor, digging through piles of fiction. He had just the thing for Kiernan. He knew of a couple queer wizard authors that he thought they would appreciate. In his time at Hogwarts he had seen the queer community grow. Many of the faculty agreed that the warming muggle climate had encouraged the muggle born students to come out. There had even been a club formed a few years ago for queer students. Teddy himself wasn't really sure how he fit into it. If hard pressed he usually defined himself as bisexual, given his openness for all genders. He was pretty sure he could have constituted a different third gender given his natural born abilities but he had been born of the male sex and he was okay with sticking to it.

As he searched for the author he had in mind, his eyes kept glimpsing various titles he thought might suit Vic. He had been so out of touch with her lately, but he still knew she was enamored with the intersection of the wizarding world and the literary world. He had to stop himself from grabbing a book to buy her as well. Instead he found the book he had been looking for and headed back down to the main level. As per their original plan, he bought the book for them and headed outside to meet back up.

Kiernan and Teddy smiled shyly to each other outside the bookshop and handed each other their brown paper bags. Teddy opened his and discovered a beautiful copy of Advanced Defence: The Wise Wizards Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was flattered that Kiernan had listened well enough to remember that he wanted nothing more than to be an auror like his family before him. Kiernan seemed equally delighted by their gifted book.

"Oh it's perfect Teddy, I can't wait to read it," Kiernan looked up at Teddy and took him by surprise by leaning in and kissing his cheek.

He blushed, "Y-you're welcome."

They laughed, "You're cute when you're flustered. Do you like the book I found you?"

He nodded, "Yeah, of course. I doubt if I'll have time to read it with our NEWTs but I'll certainly try."

"Yeah now that I'm thinking about this this may not have been the best date idea," Kiernan giggled, "Wanna head back up to the grounds? We could just chill by the lake if you want?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Teddy said a bit anxiously. As they headed back up the road Teddy couldn't help but think about what it meant to linger by the Black Lake. Everyone knew if your date ended near the Black Lake that you were going to get some sort of action that you couldn't get away with in the castle. They settled down under a tree to keep out of the late afternoon sun, easily forgetting their bags of books on the side. They were sitting and chatting for all of five minutes before Kiernan leaned over and kissed Teddy. He had seen it coming but was nonetheless still startled. The two stayed lip locked for a little while before Kiernan finally gave up and pulled away, "Did I do something wrong, I thought we were having a good time?"

"We are having a good time," Teddy said shyly.

"Then why are you kissing me like you'd kiss your grandma?"

"Listen I do not kiss my grandma like that," Teddy started but Kiernan just gave him a stern look. He sighed, defeated, "I don't know. I like you."

Kiernan smiled sadly, "Do you? Cuz I think you might like Victoire more."

"What?"

"I saw the way you looked at her, Teddy," They sighed, fixing Teddy's slightly skewed hair for him. "I can spot a lovelorn puppy from miles away and you, my friend, have it bad. I thought maybe it was just a friendly thing, but if I'm being honest I know you wouldn't kiss her like that if you were given the opportunity." Teddy felt his heart skip and he looked way. Kiernan smiled knowingly, "Yeah. That's what I thought."

"I'm sorry, Kiernan."

They sighed, "It's fine Teddy. There are plenty of other boys and girls I can go out with. For what it's worth, you're a good guy. I hope you get your girl. I'll see you in class Monday, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Teddy muttered as they got up and headed back toward the castle with their new book.

He leaned back against the tree trunk and let his head slowly tip back. He hadn't really realized that he thought of Victoire that way. He hated that he missed her. He hated that he still wanted nothing more than to make her smile. He wondered if she still thought the duck bill was funny or not. He wouldn't know. He hadn't done it since she had started at Hogwarts years ago. She had seemed so unamused by his presence earlier. He wondered if she was lingering somewhere in the castle with her friends. What would she do if he told her the truth? Maybe he wasn't in love with her though. Maybe it was like Kiernan had suggested and he saw her like family. But he knew he didn't. He saw Lil and Ly like family, not Vic. He shut his eyes and let his heart takeover his mind. A couple of second years wandering closer to the shore of the Black Lake glanced over at him, puzzled by his rapidly changing hair color. He had gotten so good at controlling his chameleon-esque features when he was emotional. It was only when he was in extreme distress that he lost control over it.

As he sat there he tried to imagine what it may be like to be with Victoire properly. He imagined it had been her beside him under the tree, what it would be like to feel her lips against his. His eyes snapped open and he jumped up from his spot under the tree, barely remembering to grab the gift that Kiernan had given him. He ran up the castle steps and straight through the giant front doors. He had no idea where she could be. He never learned her favorite study corners, her hiding places. He just kept running. He followed some unknown internal compass through halls, jumping two steps at a time when he took stairs, and ignoring everyone that tried to talk to him as he soared through Hogwarts.

He stopped in front of the library to catch his breath. As he stood there, bent over with his hands on his knees, he realized she had to be in the confines of the great tomes. He headed in and wordlessly headed for the small fiction section all the way in the back of the library. He found her there, sitting on the floor with her eyes glued firmly on her book. The early sunset's light was shining through the window on the opposite wall. It made her blonde hair look like pure gold. She was pure radiance without even thinking, without even trying. He couldn't care right then what she was reading, he only cared that he found her.

But she had yet to notice he was there. He stepped back out of sight and leaned against the end of the shelf. How did he go about this? He had been following instinct. He took a deep breath and did the one thing he always did when he needed guidance. He touched his necklace through his shirt where it was hiding. It was a small but elaborately detailed orb resembling the moon that contained a little bit of water. The moon for his father's ability to conquer his greatest fear, the water for his mother's equally frenzied and peaceful disposition. It grounded him. It always did. The answer was obvious.

He walked around to the opposite side of the shelf and pulled out a thick book to see through to the other side. Victoire was still resolutely absorbed in her book, blissfully unaware of Teddy. He kept himself patient and hissed, "Psssst."

Nothing.

"Victoire," He said at a normal tone, not bothering to whisper in the library.

She jumped in genuine surprise, looking around her before her eyes settled on Teddy's face hiding between the books. He saw her eyes shift ever so slightly to express amusement, but her lips were unmoved, "What are you doing?" She whispered. "What happened to your date?"

"Didn't pan out," Teddy said casually with a shrug she barely saw. "Vic, listen —"

"Edward Remus Lupin," A cold voice said from the other end of the shelves. "You're disrupting the peace of the library. Get out." Madam Pince may have been well over a hundred but everyone still greatly feared her. Rumor had it that she had once taught Albus Dumbledore himself a lesson he never forgot, though nobody could say what that was.

But despite his well deserved fear of the librarian, Teddy was bold, "Can you just give me a second Madam Pince, this is really important."

"I don't care. Get out before I ban you from the library for the rest of the week. Good luck getting your NEWT work done then."

Teddy opened and shut his mouth incredulously. He glanced back through the books at Victoire and nodded in the direction of the doors at the other end of the library before reluctantly getting up and exiting as per Pince's request. He waited outside the library until she finally appeared, "Teddy what's wrong with you? You don't mess with Pince, you should know that."

"I don't care. I really don't. She can ban me for life, I'll get by."

Victoire's bright blue eyes widened, "You've gone insane haven't you? What's so important that you have to bother me?"

"I — Victoire I'm so sorry. I've been ignoring you for too long. I got scared. I blamed you for it, but it's my fault that we stopped talking. I pretended like it was your house or your year, it's not. I was afraid you would see right through me. I didn't want you to find out the truth and have you hate me."

She looked wholly unimpressed, "Oh? What dark horrible truth? That you're more werewolf than you let on?" She smirked at her own bad joke.

He shook his head seriously, not even phased by her attempt at humor. He was quiet for a beat longer and she seemed to recognize suddenly the gravity of the situation. She tightened her grip on the book she had checked out, holding it close against her chest. She swallowed, "Teddy? What would I have seen all this time?"

"Victoire, I've been infatuated with you for years. I think we both have known for awhile, whether or not we ever talked about it. You know how addicted I've always been to your laugh, to your smile. But then it got too real once we were older. I didn't want you to get scared and run away. It's taking every damn thing in me to say this right now because I'm still scared you'll turn tail and flee. If you can't bear the thought of me, yeah that will suck but I'll take it. I don't want to be stuck in this horrible phase of pretending like we don't know each other anymore. Friends or something else, I'll take what I can get Vic. I just know I want you in my life more than I've ever wanted anything before, and that is saying something."

She stared at him dumbfoundedly as he talked. When he paused long enough for her to respond he was startled to find that she didn't have an immediate response. She seemed to gasp for air like a fish, her mouth parted but no words escaping. She couldn't believe it was really happening to her. Before he could blurt out something stupid she said simply, "Are you joking?"

He looked around for a moment and said flatly, "No. I'm not fucking joking."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!"

"Because I've dreamt something like this a couple dozen times and it always felt really real so how can I be sure this isn't a dream?" She said earnestly.

Teddy's expression softened and without another moment's hesitation he reached forward and began to pull her toward him gently. She dropped the book on the floor and met him halfway. Their arms encircled each other as she tilted her head up and their lips met in the middle. Unsurprisingly, Kiernan's suspicion had been right. He kissed Victoire like a parched man drinks water, like the dying man gasps for air. They were only separated when a passing prefect scolded them so loudly that they were actually distracted from each other. They parted and coughed shyly as the prefect departed after docking both of their houses ten points each. Both students were usually very adamant about earning points for their house, but neither batted an eye at the loss from their houses. Victoire still hadn't noticed that the book had fallen at a bad angle and half of the pages had been badly bent.

They glanced at each other, their faces still red. They both started laughing, their mirth echoing off the walls. Teddy bent down and grabbed the book, handing it back to her. Teddy realized he had left the book he had got from Kiernan just hours before somewhere among the library shelves by accident. He didn't especially care. Victoire thanked him quietly and tucked her hair behind her ear, "So, uh, what now?"

Teddy smiled, "Want to go hang out by the lake?"

"But Teddy it's almost dark out. We're not allowed on the grounds after sunset."

He shrugged, "It's my last year. I can cut loose a little bit can't I?"

Victoire was usually a rigid rule follower herself, but she still hadn't noticed the bent pages. She was oblivious to the unimportant details suddenly. She laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you can. Come on, let's go before that prefect comes back."


	16. Diagon Alley

August 27th, 2017

James huffed a loud sigh as he wandered out of the fireplace into his grandparents' home. Lucius knelt and opened his arms for his grandson but James just shook his head and looked forlornly at the ground. Caelum, on the other hand, ran forward and hugged his grandfather.

Narcissa glanced from the morose boy to his fathers behind them, each holding a twin daughter's hand. Harry sighed, "He's been like this all day. Don't mind him. He goes between fits of jealous anger and misery. Good luck with him."

"I don't understand why we can't go with!" James suddenly shouted angrily, turning to glare at his dad.

"Because you get overexcited and wander off and there's going to be tons of people in Diagon Alley right now. I don't really fancy going on a wild goose chase for you. Besides, today is not about you, it's about your sisters," Harry explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

James reverted back to sulking, crawling up onto the large sofa nearby and lying face down on the cushions.

"Like he said," Draco smirked, "Good luck with him. Thank you guys again for watching them. We shouldn't be terribly long."

"It's not a problem," Narcissa assured him sweetly, "We love watching them."

Lucius agreed as he pretended to struggle lifting his five year old grandson, "Oh yes, can't get enough of little Caelum. Too bad he didn't get grandpa's hair though." Caelum giggled as he played with his grandfather's obscenely long hair. He had stopped getting it cut at all and now it was halfway down his back.

"You two have fun, okay?" Narcissa encouraged the girls, leaning down only slightly to kiss their cheeks.

"We will grandma," Lily assured.

"You listen to your dads okay?" She said especially to Lyra, "No running off."

"We won't, we promise," Lyra recited.

Narcissa handed her son the bowl filled with a shiny gray powder and they each took turns disappearing into Diagon Alley. When they had left James turned and glared at the fireplace.

"Now James, behave," Narcissa spoke gently. "If you're mean to your family I might not give you any custard."

He perked up at the word. He loved his grandma's custard more than anything. Draco had been slowly trying to convince his parents to get rid of their house elf. Narcissa and Lucius were extremely hesitant, but had agreed to lessen the elf's workload and start to offer some small payment. One of the side effects of this change was that Narcissa and Lucius had learned to make meals for themselves and their grandchildren. In the beginning, their elf, Bitsy, had had to oversee their cooking as they were quite inept. But now they had managed to not need her assistance anymore and were able to make treats for their grandkids whenever they pleased. Narcissa was especially fond of using sweets as a manipulative tactic to get the kids to behave. Sure enough, it worked and James no longer glowered or sulked in the corner with the prospect of custard in his future.

"Ooh where first?" Lily said in awe as she beheld the wonderful Diagon Alley in all its glory. They had not been there since they were little and visited George and his family at their shop. They had both forgotten how beautifully magnificent the brightly painted shops looked along the lane.

"Well, Lily you're going to pick out an owl with daddy while Lyra goes with me to get her wand and then we'll switch. Sound fair?"

Lyra didn't wait for anyone to respond. She charged straight through the crowd for the one black building. Harry sighed and smiled to Draco, "Meet me outside George's shop when you're done, okay?"

"Good luck," Draco sympathized with a smile as he took Lily's hand in his.

Harry hurried to catch up to Lyra as Draco and Lily made their way to Eeylops Owl Emporium.

Harry had little difficulty keeping his daughter within his sights. He had grown accustomed to her running off. In truth, this was why James was not there. It was bad enough to chase down one kid but chasing two going in opposite directions was a nightmare. He knew it was pointless to try and get his daughter to hold his hand or stay close to him. As long as he was close enough to respond if she was suddenly in danger, she was fine. So when she darted into the shop he was still a few paces behind.

Garrick Ollivander was nearing retirement. He hadn't yet out of sheer stubbornness. He was training his only grandson, who was not terribly young at 48, to learn the trade. But he was utterly convinced despite 8 years of training that Galton was not prepared. He still hadn't let his grandson help anyone pick out a wand. But he had decided that come the next school year he would allow Galton to help Hogwarts students pick their wands. This was Garrick's last year. He looked up from the counter when a little girl stormed in. Usually students came in with their parents. He raised a gnarly brow at the small dark haired girl. He had an instinct for the wands that people needed. He had an immediate guess of five different wants that could work for the girl.

The girl ran up to him at the counter, "I need a wand Mr. Ollivander."

"Do you have anything to pay for one my dear?"

"Well, my daddy does, he's coming. I just want a wand. Please," Lyra added belatedly.

Garrick grimaced as he turned to the shelves of wands behind them. He felt drawn to a box and withdrew it from the shelf carefully. He opened the box before the child, "Try this one on for size."

She picked it up, practically shaking with excitement. She pointed it at the shelf behind Ollivander and flicked the wand carelessly through the air. Just as the shelves exploded out from the bookshelf and scattered everywhere, her father walked in. He sighed, "Really Lyra?"

"What? I was just trying out the wand! This one won't do Mr. Ollivander," Lyra said matter of factly as she put it on the counter.

But Garrick had forgotten about the girl. He grinned uncharacteristically and walked around the counter, "Mr. Potter, it's wonderful to see you again."

Harry smiled back genially, "You as well, Mr. Ollivander. I got to say, I wasn't sure if you would still be working here or not. I would have thought you would have wanted to retire after everything happened."

"No, quite the opposite. It helped get me back on my feet to focus on my work."

"Well I apologize that my daughter just laid waste to your shop. I'm afraid she's not much better than I was," Harry said simply as he took out his own wand and repaired the damage she had done.

"Your holly and phoenix wand works just fine despite the injury to it then?"

"Oh, y'know, elder wand worked miracles. Hasn't let me down since," Harry assured.

"And your husband's wand? How's it suiting him?"

"How do you know who I'm married to?"

Garrick shrugged, "You were the hottest gossip for a few years, word spreads."

"Well, Draco's wand suits him far better than his first." Indeed, when Harry had disarmed Draco during the war the wand was never loyal to him again. He had brought it to Garrick before he had pursued his career as a healer. Mr. Ollivander had gladly removed the unicorn core from within and replaced the wand wood entirely.

"The redwood is suiting him then?"

"Splendidly."

"AHEM. I still need a wand Mr. Ollivander," Lyra finally burst, getting sick of her father's socializing, "Why does this happen whenever I take you places dad?"

Harry shot his daughter a dirty look, "Lyra, shush. Be nice to Mr. Ollivander, he's an old friend of your dad's."

"Yeah, so is everyone we ever see in public," Lyra groaned, "Daddy I just want to be a witch already, but I can't be if I haven't got a wand."

"Takes after her other father then?" Garrick smiled wistfully as he headed toward the shelves again and handed the little girl a different wand, "Alright, give this one a whirl."

She did as instructed, waving the wand with a great deal of enthusiasm. A high pitch screech pierced the air. Garrick snatched the wand straight out of the girl's hand and pushed it back into the shelf. A third and a fourth box proved to be duds as well, though they were far less extreme reactions. Garrick faced his shelves with a face of consternation, going over the options in his head. He knew precisely the core, but debated on the wood over. He finally relented and went with a hunch, grabbing a dusty box from a lower shelf. It was not his first choice, but he was at least interested to see how the wand would respond to the girl's touch. He carefully handed it to her. Lyra knew as soon as she touched it that something was right. It felt alive in her hand and her exuberant smiles and extreme frowns from before were suddenly replaced by a look of sheer calm on her face. It was genuinely an emotion that Harry had never seen on his daughter before. She looked up at Mr. Ollivander, "I think this is it."

"Well, then there shouldn't be any harm in giving it a go. Give it a wave."

Lyra resolutely waved the wand resolutely up at the lamp on the wall. The flame blazed brightly momentarily before flaring back down. She looked back at her father with delight.

"Indeed, the perfect wand for you my dear. Eleven inches, rigid, spruce with a dragon heartstring core. That is a very special wand, you treat it well alright?"

Lyra nodded. She was generally not very careful with her belongings but she had never felt so much care for an object in her life. She felt as if she was always meant to have the wand. It seemed to fit her hands like it had always been there. She could hardly believe her fortune. Harry thanked Mr. Ollivander and covered the charge while Lyra continued to feel fascination over her new found love. She finally felt like she was becoming a real witch. She had longed for this day her entire life. When Harry turned and lead her out of the shop he was surprised to find his daughter, usually the picture of aggression, crying with a smile on her face.

"Lyra?" He knelt in front of her just outside the shop as people streamed by. Some cast curious glances their way, but most continued on. "Sweetheart what's the matter?"

"I'm just really happy, dad," Lyra admitted as she wiped the tears off her cheeks, "I've wanted to be like you and daddy forever and now I finally am."

Harry was mildly amused, "Sweetheart you're not even at Hogwarts yet."

"I know," She laughed, "But I'm closer than ever. It feels real now."

Harry could think of nothing to say to this, so he simply hugged his daughter close. She was growing up remarkably fast. It felt like yesterday that he had taken care of her alone in their old house, waiting for Lily and Draco to return from the hospital. She had always been the more difficult of the two, but he loved her dearly in part because of how much she challenged them. He was as excited as she was, but a part of him desperately wanted her to stay little. But he knew he couldn't stop the tides of time. He let her go and stood, leading the way again, "How about we make it even more real and get you your own owl?"

She agreed and lead the way up the road. Almost as soon as Lyra entered the store her eyes fell on a magnificent, disgruntled great horned owl. She pointed and insisted, "That's it. That's my owl."

The caretaker of the store noticed and warned, "Oh sweetie, I don't know if that's such a good idea. She's not the friendliest of beasts."

"I don't care. She's perfect," Lyra insisted. The owl turned and looked straight at Lyra, fluffing out her wings and suddenly swooping down onto a table beside her and hooting loudly. Lyra giggled, "I think I know your name. Yeah, your name's Anastasia."

"Are you sure Lyra? There's plenty of other, friendlier owls here."

"I don't need a friendly owl, I need Anastasia," Lyra clarified. "She's mine now. Isn't that right Anastasia?" She cooed to the bird, reaching out to pet it. The caretaker started toward them, afraid of what would happen next. But to her great surprise, Lyra stroked the owl's chest without issue. They were oddly harmonious. Harry exchanged a concerned look with the caretaker but ultimately shrugged, "I guess we'll take the bird then. Can you get it to Hogwarts by the first?"

Lily proudly twirled her wand in her hand as she waited for her sister and dad to appear in front of George's shop. She had found hers almost instantaneously, which Mr. Ollivander chalked up to having seen her twin earlier that day. He had a better judge of her character, so he claimed. The wand that found her was nine and half inches of flexible pear wood with a unicorn hair core. It could not have been more clear to Mr. Ollivander through these two wands how each child had taken on traits of their adoptive fathers in different ways.

Lyra and Harry appeared from the crowd then, Lyra proudly carrying her wand at her side. The girls, for once, were civil with each other.

"Your wand is gorgeous, Lily," Lyra admired. She wasn't wrong. The pale yellow hue of the pear wood complimented Lily's strawberry blonde hair.

"Yours too," Lily said sweetly. In truth, Lyra's was near white, which contrasted eloquently with the dark clothes she fancied and her dark hair.

"Well, before you too start actually liking each other why don't you go inside and see if you can find Freddie and Rox?" Draco suggested, "Your dad and I are gonna go chat with George if we can."

Without a moment's hesitation, the girls bolted through the front doors. Lily made a beeline for the girlier selection of toys and oddities while Lyra went straight up the stairs. She snuck between groups of kids enjoying the gags all over the place and found the small door she had been looking for. She knocked three times. The door popped open in a burst and Freddie came out in a rush. He grinned when he saw Lyra, "You didn't tell me you were coming this weekend!" He held his hand up high in the air. She high fived him with a laugh, "I didn't know until today, I'm sorry. Does it matter though, I'm here. What have you got?"

"Come into my room of treasures, madame," He gestured to the room he had just exploded from. She gladly snuck past the open door that read "employees only" on the front. Freddie lead her in, shutting the door to the storage room behind them. He spent most of his time in the shop in here. His dad fully encouraged his curious tendencies with the gags, but discouraged his mishaps taking place in front of the customers. So he was given space in the storage room to mess around with the new merchandise and see what would hold up to a curious boy's imagination and what wouldn't. Lyra had always been a welcome playmate in this capacity.

"So did you get your wand and stuff already?" Freddie asked as he plopped onto the floor in front of a small shut up box in the corner. She sat next to him and slipped her wand out of her pocket, showing it off.

"Yeah, daddy got everything ready for school. Ordered our school books to be delivered, put an owl on reservation for me, sent our measurements to the robe makers, all the fun stuff."

Freddie grinned, "You're going to have so much fun Ly. You better get into Gryffindor with me, someone's gotta make things more fun in that common room with me. My buddy Gordie helps, but I know we'd have more fun with you there."

"It's completely unfair that you got to start school before me. I'm less than a year younger than you!"

"I don't make the rules, dude," Freddie reminded her as he pulled out a strange blob from the box and tossed it from one hand to the next.

"What's that?"

"I have no idea but it's really weird."

It was music to Lyra's ears. They threw the strange toy back and forth and watched as it slowly turned color and grew in size. Beyond that, however, it proved fairly useless. Until Lyra squeezed it experimentally and it let out a loud gurgling sound. The two kids burst into loud laughs. The door suddenly opened and a tall lean ginger leaned into the room, looking about until his eyes spotted the kids playing in the corner.

"Ah, there you are," George said with a smile, "Ly, your family's heading back home."

"What?" Lyra whined, "We just got here!"

"You and Freddie will have plenty of time to catch up when school starts up again," George assured her, "Go on."

Lyra stood reluctantly. Freddie, ever the gentleman, stood and walked her to the front door, "I'm sorry you couldn't play longer."

"Me too, but you know my family."

"Yeah," Freddie smirked.

"They're lame," The two said in time. They laughed together before finally bidding each other goodbye as she caught up to her dads and sister outside the store.

"Have fun?" Draco asked as they headed back up the road to the tavern they had travelled to via floo powder earlier that very day.

"I would have had more fun if we had stayed longer," Lyra huffed.

"We gotta go home so we can practice with our magic," Lily said.

"Woah, no you don't," Draco said insistently, "You can't do magic outside of Hogwarts until you're seventeen. When we go home I'm taking those away from you just so you won't be tempted."

Both girls were extremely distressed by this, but neither could say a word against it. Despite the frustration of having to go a few more weeks without school and magic, the two girls had a hard time falling asleep that night for all of their eagerness.


	17. The Beginning

September 1st, 2017

Harry Potter was finally able to be spotted in public without catching anyone's attention. Even when he had been here just a few years ago with Teddy he had gotten a few glances. It seemed the war was far enough back in their society's history that people could leave him in peace. Or, perhaps, everyone knew today was not the day to stare. Today was the day where Harry Potter was nothing but a father to his four gorgeous children. His kids didn't know or care about his past heroism, they just wanted him to push the cart for them. James was being his usual playful self and had climbed onto the trunks on the cart, giggling the whole while as they made their way through King's Cross station. The girls were leading the way, despite not having any clue where they were going. Draco intermittently would correct them, "Nope, go left not right," when they would mislead them. Caelum, at just five years old, was sitting on Draco's shoulders and holding onto his hair. It was mildly painful for Draco, but he didn't say a word.

The girls finally found their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry had already told them how to get through. He hesitated behind them, hanging onto their cart of luggage and waiting for them to go ahead. He shared a brief affectionate look with his husband before turning back to see his twin daughters, normally best enemies, holding each other's hands.

Lily looked at her sister seriously, "Ready?"

Lyra nodded dutifully, "On three. One, two… three."

The girls charged straight into the brick wall between platforms nine and ten and disappeared in the blink of an eye. They held on tight to each other as they made their way through to the other side. Finally, they found themselves standing at the platform they had dreamed about for years but had never seen in person. They turned to their left and saw the magnificent cherry red steam engine. Neither were aware that they had let out a soft, "Woah," simultaneously under their breaths. Dozens of people streamed by, but they didn't seem to notice them either. They did notice, however, when their father almost bowled them over with their cart a heartbeat later.

James laughed loudly as he jumped off their trunks, "You should have seen your faces!" He cackled and mocked their looks of surprise when the cart had come out of nowhere.

Draco appeared beside James and nudged him, "Be nice."

"Nah," James shrugged before quickly disappearing into the crowd of people.

"Why does he always do that?" Draco asked nobody in particular.

Harry rolled his eyes, "No idea, but he'll be back. He's probably off to bother some strangers or friends or both. Come on girls, lets get your bags on the train. Draco, do you mind?" He asked his husband as he let go of the cart. Draco let Caelum down beside him and pushed the cart forward toward the nearest train car, his son following close beside while holding onto his pant leg. Lyra let go of Lily's hand and followed Draco and Caelum eagerly. It took a few strides for Harry to notice that Lily had not followed. He turned and saw her standing stock still, gazing at the engine. He smiled to himself and dodged between the groups of people and made his way to his daughter.

She wasn't trying to hide her emotions, as usual. She looked positively paralyzed with fear. Harry crouched down in front of his daughter, "Lil, how're you doing?"

"Daddy, I changed my mind. I don't want to be a witch."

"And why's that?" Harry asked, nonplussed.

Lily looked around at the groups of people and back to the train, eyeing her daddy and sister putting their trunks onboard with the help of a serviceman, "What if I'm not good enough? Isn't it better to not be a witch at all then to be a bad one?"

"You're going to do just fine, Lily. You're going to school to learn how to be a good witch, remember. Everyone starts out at the same place as you. You're starting ahead of some of them even, you've actually bothered to skim Hogwarts, A History. I never did that, neither did daddy. Only Hermione did that."

Lily finally turned her hazel eyes to the dad standing a foot in front of her and murmured, "I'm scared I'll be a loser. What if I'm …"

"What if you're what, dear?"

"A … Hufflepuff…"

He repressed the urge to laugh at her. Undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of parenting for Harry was not laughing at his children. "So is Teddy a loser?"

"No, he's the coolest,"

"And what house was he in?"

"Hufflepuff…"

"And what about your godmother Hannah?"

"Hufflepuff, but…"

"So why do you think it's a bad house?"

"Dad, everyone says it is. Every one of the Weasley's has said it at least once, I've overheard people in Diagon Alley say it, and I've ever heard daddy say it."

Harry sighed, "Well your daddy never got along with Hufflepuff, of course he was in Slytherin back when that house didn't get along with anyone else."

"He'll hate me if I'm sorted into Hufflepuff," Lily choked out, trying not to cry.

"No, no, honey. Your daddy and I could never hate you no matter what you do. We love you more than anything, you know that," Harry immediately reassured his daughter.

She took a deep breath, knowing her dad never lied to her. They had always been loving. She supposed it didn't make a lot of sense for her daddy to not love her anymore over something so trivial as a sorting.

"Some of the bravest people I have ever known were in Hufflepuff, Lily."

"Like who?"

"Teddy's mom, for starters. And a boy I knew in school. I'll tell you that story another day, but my point is that the house you're in does not determine your fate or who you are. You already know who you are. And who might that be?" Harry asked with a growing smile.

"I'm Lily, Lily Potter-Malfoy," She said with a growing conviction. "So it doesn't matter what house I go in, I'll still be me."

"That's my girl," Harry grinned as he reached out and hugged her close. He couldn't help but murmur as they hugged, "But if you're really scared, the hat takes suggestions."

"It does?"

"It did with me anyway. I just said 'not Slytherin' and it worked."

Lily laughed, "You're funny daddy, but I don't think the hat works like that."

"It's true!" Harry said earnestly.

Lily just shook her head, "Thanks dad." She ran over toward the rest of the family, who had been eyeing them curiously.

Harry stood and followed muttering to himself, "Why does nobody ever believe that?" just as James reappeared from the thinning crowd with his jaw hanging open. "Careful, you'll eat a fly if you keep your gob open like that," Harry quipped without a second thought.

"I just saw the crazies thing," James started.

"James can't it wait, your sisters have to any minute," Draco sighed.

"Teddy is here! And he's kissing! Victoire!" James repeatedly paused for dramatic effect as he gestured wildly down the platform. Indeed, two teenagers were snogging against a pillar. Teddy, despite having graduated and having a real job now, had resorted back to wearing his hair in his favorite blue hue. It was impossible to mistake the blue headed teenager with his arms around the gorgeous blonde girl, it definitely was Teddy and Victoire.

Draco and Harry shrugged, "So?"

"Why are you not freaking out?" James complained loudly.

"Oh, we knew about it. That's one of the perks of being old, James," Harry emphasized, "You get to know all the family gossip. Now go on, say goodbye to your sisters. You won't see them til the holidays."

James groaned in frustration at his dad before turning to his sisters. Lyra giggled and held out a fist to her brother. He held up a fist and bumped it to hers, finally cracking a smile. He hated to admit it, but he was actually going to miss his big sister. She had taught him how to throw punches last year, which had made their dads pretty upset, but they had had fun with it.

"You keep practicing, okay? Only with Lily's stuffed animals though, we don't need dads getting mad at us again," Lyra whispered conspiratorially. Lily shot them a disapproving look regarding her teddy bears but said nothing.

"I will, I promise. You better write me and send me something cool," James insisted.

Lyra laughed and hugged her seven year old brother, "Of course I will dummy."

When she let go, James turned to Lily. They hugged without words, Lily chose to show her affection through an annoyingly tight hug that James wriggled away from as soon as he could. He admired Lyra's strength but he loved Lily's sweetness. When he was five he had fallen and scraped his knee. Lyra had yelled to stop crying while Lily had fetched him a bandaid and hugged him until he felt better. As Caelum said his goodbyes to his sisters, James happened to look over and darted off again.

Harry followed his son with his gaze, "Oh where is he off now?" But to his pleasant surprise he saw his oldest friends standing just feet away. James had run straight for them. Harry had almost forgotten that they were seeing Rose off for her first year too. Hermione and Ron and their two children came over as soon as they saw James running to them.

"Are you excited, Rose?" Draco asked kindly to the short redhead girl.

Rose beamed and nodded, "Definitely. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for Lily and Lyra," She assured their fathers. She exchanged a mirthful look with Lily. They had been close friends for years now, and they were both desperately hoping to end up in the same house. Lyra, on the other hand, Rose planned on making sure didn't get into too much trouble.

"It's all well and good to have fun sweetheart, but don't fall behind on your studies okay?" Ron reminded his daughter gently.

"Oh, she'll be fine," Hermione assured him, "I never fell behind no matter how much you two tried to distract me," She reminded her best friends. Harry and Ron both smirked.

"Train's heading out soon," Draco reminded softly, "You girls better get on board."

"One last goodbye hug?" Ron suggested. Rose charged back into her dad's arms before hugging her mother and younger brother as well.

Lyra and Lily both lunged forward. Harry and Draco, who had happened to be standing side by side at this point, encircled their arms around their daughters in a close knit group hug. Neither father mentioned the tears they felt dampening their shirts. Draco kissed Lily's hair, "I'll be expecting your letter by the end of the week okay? You're going to be just fine. I know you will be."

"Lyra, you behave yourself, okay? Keep your sister out of harm's way and don't drag her into any of your schemes," Harry reminded his dark haired daughter gently. "You both get your work done okay? And watch out for Peeves, don't pay any attention to him and you'll be fine."

With final kisses and hugs out of the way, all three girls climbed aboard the train and made their way into a cabin. They stood on their seats and popped open the window just as the train began to whistle. They waved at their parents and siblings as the train slowly began to move away from them.

"Bye! Don't have too much fun without me!" Hugo called out to his sister.

"Send me a chocolate frog!" Caelum encouraged helpfully.

"We loooove you!" James hollered over the gathering noise of the train.

Harry held his husband's hand and looked over misty eyed at his friends. They had all finally managed to get to this point, and he could hardly believe it. He was filled with immense joy and pride for both his children and his friends. Ron had his arm tight around Hermione's waist and they both caught Harry's eye and smiled weakly as the train grew more distant. It had been nineteen years and all four of them still bared the scars of what they had been through together, and not one of them remembered those scars in that moment. In that moment, all they saw was their futures spread out before them in the form of a gleaming red train. In that moment, all that mattered was that they had found their happy ending.


	18. The Sorting

Later that night

Lily and Lyra stayed close together with Rose as they shuffled into the Great Hall in the large crowd of kids. They were wowed immediately by the sheer grandeur of the room. Lily almost tripped over the boy in front of her for staring at the ceiling too long. Lyra tried not to laugh, for she was just as enchanted. The crowd of about fifty students made their way between the four tables. Lily noticed the banners that hung above each table and noted the order from left to right as she walked in: Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally go to the wrong table after she was sorted.

"Are you scared?" Lyra whispered to her twin.

"Yes," Lily admitted.

"Me too," Lyra said as she took her sisters hand in hers. Alphabetically speaking, Lily would be sorted first. It was a rare occasion that the girls found themselves feeling the same thing and were supporting each other through it. Both girls privately thought how sad they would be now to be separated from their twin. They also both suspected their sister wasn't sad at the prospect of being separated. Surely, Lily thought, I annoy her too much and she wants to be apart from me. Lyra similarly thought, why would she want me around anymore?

As they passed the tables, Lyra was startled by a tug on her left sleeve. She glanced over and saw Freddie grinning at her, his cousin Dominique beside him. Lyra and Lily smiled at them as they passed.

"Maybe you'll make Gryffindor and be with them?" Lily suggested softly.

Lyra smirked, "Not likely. Rose will get to be with Freddie though, won't you Rose?"

"I dunno," Rose said sheepishly, "Daddy thinks I'll be a shoo in for Ravenclaw."

"Well, we're about to find out," Lyra sighed as the line came to a halt and the children gathered in front of a long table filled with professors. Lily and Lyra were soothed by the presence of their godfather Neville at the table. Everyone else, however, was unfamiliar to them. A woman of considerable age in a plain black, slim dress and a perfectly pointed witch's hat sat in the middle of the table, watching everyone through her small silver spectacles. Her expression was neutral as she sat with her hands folded at the table. A single professor had lead them into the hall and now placed a stool with an old mangled and patched hat upon it.

The girls waited for a name to be called up to the sorting but to their surprise the brim of the hat ripped open and the tattered hat began to sing quite loudly:

 _Thousands of heads I have sat upon_

 _And thousands more shall I sit_

 _For the founders counted on me_

 _To know where your young minds fit._

 _Perhaps you'll be best with Gryffindor_

 _Who took me off his head & asked for no more_

 _Than the strongest of spirit and heart_

 _But perhaps you fit finest with Ravenclaw_

 _Who asked me to find the most original minds_

 _So that they could be refined_

 _Fear not if these do not apply_

 _There are two more houses to try!_

 _There is fierce Slytherin_

 _Who asked for those with high ambition_

 _To teach them dedication_

 _Or perhaps you belong to Hufflepuff_

 _Who asked for all the rest_

 _To get them up to snuff_

 _Yes, many a head I have sat upon_

 _And each of them I've placed_

 _So the time has come little ones_

 _For the tradition to go on post haste!_

Lily and Lyra exchanged a curious look. Nobody had told them the hat sang. The professor beside the stool retrieved a scroll from his robes once the hat had gone silent again. The man was quite old and seemed rather shorter than the rest of the staff. Lyra wondered privately if he was half dwarf. In a high pitched voice he began to call out the students alphabetically my last name.

"Abbott, Cletus," was the first to be sorted and went into Slytherin. He was greeted by tumultuous applause at the house table as the other tables waited patiently for their first new student. As Lily gazed around and absorbed her environment she vaguely overheard "Brown, Rachel," had been placed in Ravenclaw.

As people in the crowd were dispersed between the four tables, Lily and Lyra got more and more anxious. It was by far the biggest moment of their young lives so far. They held each other's hands desperately.

"Pitts, Caroline," was sorted into Slytherin after a significant pause when the hat was placed on her head of wild black hair. After she zoomed off to the table with a delighted look on her face, Lyra let go of her sisters hand, "You'll be brilliant no matter where you are," She whispered seconds before the little old man called out, "Potter-Malfoy, Lily?"

Lily took a steadying breath before approaching the stool and sitting down. The little wizard placed the hat on her head and muttered, "I always knew Harry would name his daughter Lily. A pleasure to meet you dear."

Lily didn't understand this but vaguely registered to ask her father about it later. The hat lowered onto her head, the brim covering her eyes. She was grateful to not be able to see the audience before her. Suddenly she could hear a deep voice in her ear, "Not a fan of attention are you?"

 _No_ , Lily thought softly.

"Even in your own mind you're soft spoken. If you were any more gentle you would be an actual lily my dear. I'm afraid to say you aren't quite as bold as your namesake. And you're not as bold as your mother either," The hat ruminated.

 _My mother?_ Lily was confused and mystified.

"Well look at that. No sense of longing to know more about her, eh? No. You're still more loyal to your fathers, but possess none of their bravado," The hat commented before making a soft sound of amusement, "My dear child, there's no denying where you belong, judging from what I've seen in your mind. But perhaps you do not wish to be there?"

 _I just want to make my family proud._

"Oh how sweet. No doubt you belong in HUFFLEPUFF," The hat had burst the last word out from its brim to the entire hall. Lily grinned as the hat was raised from her head. Her sister beamed from the crowd as she raced toward the table with the bright yellow banners above the table. A small cluster of new students were at the table and she found herself sitting beside them.

The boy she sat beside had curly brown hair and watched her closely. They smiled awkwardly at each other. Just as the boy was plucking up the nerve to introduce himself to the other new Hufflepuff the short professor called out, "Potter-Malfoy, Lyra" and Lily turned away to watch in anticipation as her twin was sorted.

Neither of the Potter-Malfoy girls were aware of the subtle whispers going through the crowd. On the gentle end the whispers simply inquired how these twins looked so dissimilar. The more direct whispers inquired as to how two wizards had had kids, let alone twin witches. Others even asked how the famous Harry Potter had even ended up with the son of the only living death eater outside of Azkaban. Many of this generation had heard stories of the Chosen One and stories of the families of death eaters but very few knew that the famed Chosen One was married to a Malfoy.

Instead of hearing these things, Lily was focused solely on her sister. She knew it was unlikely but she hoped that she would get into Hufflepuff. Lyra, meanwhile, was busy talking in her head with the hat.

"Oh, I know just who you are. More a Malfoy than a Potter, and nothing like your biological parents. Nothing stands in your way does it dear?"

 _Only you._

"Ah yes and just how would you like it if I took my sweet time? What if I refuse to announce your house for a good hour?"

 _I'll sort myself if you dare to take that long._

"Just what I suspected. That will be another for SLYTHERIN," The hat declared loudly for the whole hall. Lyra was too busy being immensely relieved to notice the look of heartache on her sister's face. She clambered off to the Slytherin table and sat down next to the other new Slytherins, smiling toward Caroline and Cletus who had already been sorted. Lyra still did not process the separation from her sister. She felt less disconcerted about being apart from her now that she had her own house to belong to. It was okay if they didn't see each other all the time, and frankly she didn't want to share a bedroom with her sister anymore even if it was with other students. Lyra just wanted to belong somewhere. She knew her sister didn't need her, she would be fine. Lyra was too independent to mind being in a different house from her sister.

Lily, however was pretty crushed. She turned away from the crowd still being sorted and stared at the table. She didn't hear as "Rodriguez, Jessica," was put in Ravenclaw. She was too miserable. The first year Hufflepuff beside her gently tapped her shoulder. Lily looked up shyly.

"I'm sorry you didn't get in the same house as your sister. Or at least I assume she was your sister, even though you don't look much like her," The boy said a bit awkwardly as she stumbled through his own thought process.

Lily smiled, "Yeah. She's my twin actually, we just don't look alike."

"Well, I think you'll fit in just fine with our house. I'm Benjamin by the way," The boy said as he held out his hand. Lily shook it kindly. She vaguely recalled his name being called out earlier. "Nice to meet you Benjamin."

He started to say something but was interrupted as the table roared in cheers as another Hufflepuff joined their table. Lily smiled kindly at the new girl. She felt a little better. Even if she wasn't with her sister, she could surely make new friends in her house. She turned her attention back to the sorting just as "Vo, Lucille" ran off to the Ravenclaw table. She had only seen a few people get sorted into Gryffindor. But now it was Rose's turn. She timidly stepped up to have the hat placed on her head. But as soon as it was set on her ginger hair the hat boomed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily sighed. She hoped she would have some sort of automatic friend when she was sorted. But there was no such luck for her. Still, she new it was where Rose belonged and applauded with the entire hall as the final student was sorted and the hat tucked away.

The short professor returned to the empty seat at the high table and the Headmistress in the pin straight hat stood. She looked at the the students with the same unreadable expression before speaking, "I extend a warm welcome to all the new students. It is not my tradition to give long winded speeches. Prefects will advise new students as to the general rules of the grounds, and some returning students would do well to remember them too," She said as she looked pointedly at Freddie Weasley. "In the meantime, I see no point in delaying the banquet any longer. Please, tuck in." She smiled and gestured to the tables before her.

Hundreds of dishes appeared before the students. Lily and Lyra both gasped in awe from their respective tables. Lyra immediately grabbed at a chicken leg and piled her plate high with sweet and salty delights before turning to greet the other Slytherins around her.

"Is it true you're a Malfoy?" A third year asked her curiously as he wedged his way between two first years sitting across from Lyra. The boy he had shoved aside, Cletus, gave him a dirty look but didn't speak. The other first year rolled his eyes. Nobody seemed to have the courage to stand up to a thirteen year old.

Lyra swallowed her bite of chicken and squinted at the third year boy. He had a cocky smile on his face and big, glinting near black eyes under his spiked up black hair.

"Yeah. I am. I'm also a Potter."

"My cousins are the the Goyles, we're distantly related and all. I've heard some pretty wild things about the Malfoy family. Is it true granddaddy Lucius is a total coward?"

Lyra didn't hesitate. She whipped the chicken leg in her hand straight at the boys face.

"Mock my family again and you'll get more than some chicken grease on your face," Lyra warned as a prefect swooped down to their end of the table just as the third year was getting to his feet to withdraw his wand.

"Jenkins! Sit down!" The prefect girl barked.

The boy grimaced, "She's threatening me."

"Yeah, I bet she is. And what did you do to incite her? Are you really stooping so low as to pick fights with first years?" The prefect asked with an extremely arched blonde brow.

"He said my grandfather is a coward," Lyra informed helpfully.

"Oh, good one Stephen. Insult a Malfoy. That'll go really well. Head back to the common room. You're not staying for dessert. I don't want to have to dock points this early and with everyone able to see the counters."

"She assaulted me!" Stephen Jenkins said anxiously, pissed to be punished.

"Yeah, because you wanted her to so you forced her hand. I said leave. So you better get going before everyone notices you making a scene," The prefect warned.

The boy turned crimson, shot a dirty look at Lyra, and stormed out of the great hall. The prefect smirked and looked down at his empty space at the table, "Can I sit a minute?" She asked the two first year Slytherins that Jenkins had so rudely shoved aside. The boys nodded.

"I'm Alison," She introduced herself to the small cluster of twelve first year Slytherins. "I'm the fifth year prefect. Don't mind Jenkins. He has very backwards ways of behaving. Listen, despite what you may have heard this house is not for evil people. If anyone tries to give you grief over your parentage one way or another I want you to let me know. I'm a Muggle born and I'm one of the top students in my year. I don't really like people spreading negative stereotypes based on lineage, house, or really anything. That goes for all of you, okay? Slytherin has come a long way since Salazar's puritan ways. You're all equally welcome here. All of the other prefects will support you as well. McGonagall doesn't let any intolerant student hold leadership positions, so you can trust any of us. Can't really say the same for all of the houses. You'll see. Anyway, I have a roast beef to get back to. I'll catch you later kids." She got up and disappeared among her friends farther down the table.

Lyra smiled briefly before continuing her meal.

"I dunno what that boy was on about. The Jenkins are not a pure blood line so they can't be related to any. He must be half or Muggle born," The girl beside Lyra mumbled quietly.

"What was that?" Lyra asked her.

"I'm saying that little bitch is a liar," The girl with extremely long black hair, Caroline, commented casually. Lyra wasn't shocked by her swearing. She was not allowed to curse at home but she often wanted to. Lily would have fainted in shock. "He was trying to show off or have an excuse to bother you. So, Alison isn't wrong. He's a troublemaker. Or, as I said, a little bitch."

Lyra couldn't help but laugh. She liked this girl.

Lily stood in awe of the cozy quarters where she would be spending the next seven years of her school life. She stood at the opening to a perfectly round room, having just climbed through the barrell entrance and run up a dirt path that opened up into the room after a few twists and were round windows high up on the wall that showed the grass of the grounds and let the moonlight filter in. A cluster of of oak rocking chairs rested by a roaring fireplace on the east end of the room. An unassuming gold candle chandelier as well as several small sconces illuminated the room in a soft yellowish orange glow. A number of squishy looking yellow couches rested against the walls. Several shelves stuck out like wooden half moons from the wall and supported a variety of plant life. Many of the plants had a number of crystals and rocks surrounding their planters. She stepped forward and looked around in awe as the rest of the Hufflepuffs who were returning made themselves at home. Many claimed the soft couches, catching up with their friends as they cradled cups of hot cocoa they had brought with them from the Great Hall.

The fifth year prefect was leading the handful of first years, "Welcome to the common room, make yourselves at home. You'll find your trunks and belongings are waiting for you in the dormitories. The door to your left behind me is for the boys' dormitories while the one on the right is for the girls."

Lily followed the group of girls making their way to the large black circle in the wall. She was very much ready for bed and didn't quite feel like mingling in the common room just yet. The doorway opened to a narrow staircase that went to the right rather than straight up. At the top of the stair Lily found herself in a long hallway. Seven doors stretched along the hall, each with a torch lit beside it. The first years ahead of her lead the way through the closest door. As she walked through she noticed gold letters nailed to the door that spelled out "Year One".

The room within was round like the common room and contained five poster beds. In the center of the room was a small radiator to keep them warm. Lily was the last in the room and hesitated to move. She watched and observed momentarily instead. She hadn't talked to any of these girls yet and she was nervous. Each bed had a marvelous yellow and black quilt spread out upon it and each girl was claiming one for herself. The girl with the midnight hair was closest to the round window on the opposite side of the room from the door. The girl with choppy brown hair was already digging through her trunk, chattering a bit with the black haired girl. How did they already know each other? Why didn't Lily socialize more at dinner? She had talked to Benjamin a bit, but once the dinner actually commenced she found herself chatting with a seventh year that had come down the table and introduced herself. She had been a good friend of Teddy's and had chatted with Lily about him for a bit. Lily had been surprised to discover that Teddy and Fleur had been dating for close to a year now without her family ever knowing.

But her idle discussions with older students and some male students had left her completely unfamiliar with the girls in her year that she would be sharing a space with for seven years. She wondered if she had made a drastic mistake. It finally dawned on Lily that the girls were claiming beds based on where their trunks were. She blushed slightly and headed over to the unclaimed bed. She cracked open the lid to her trunk and pulled out her pyjamas she had packed from home. She looked around nervously. Was she supposed to change in front of all the other girls? Judging by the states of undress around the room, she figured the answer out. There were no curtains above the bed, no place for her to hide.

Lily hated herself for not getting more familiar with these girls beforehand. Her cheeks were flushed crimson as she quickly changed out of her robes and into her pink flannel pyjamas with her initials embroidered in green on the sleeve cuffs. She was in and out of her clothes within a single minute and climbed immediately into her bed. She had expected it to be rough or hard, but was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the bed was. She rolled away from the only bed near hers and faced the door as she pulled the blanket all the way up to her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt too awkward and uncomfortable now to try socializing with any of the girls. She eavesdropped on some of their conversations and took mental notes. The dark haired girl was named Suyin and she was already fast friends with the short haired girl apparently named Penny.

"Say, are you a muggle born?" Penny asked to someone.

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?" A girl close by Lily's side of the room said.

"Oh, I could just tell. You look a little panicked is all," Penny said softly. She clearly was trying to be kind but coming across inadvertently unhelpful.

"O-oh," The girl was barely audible.

"Oh I'm sorry," Penny apologized, "I didn't mean it like that. You just look nervous. But it'll be okay. We're all new to magic, nobody has any advantage here."

"It's okay. I-I'm going to head to bed now though," The girl murmured. Lily heard the sheets rustle in the bed to her left but didn't move a muscle.

She barely heard Penny whisper to Suyin, "I didn't mean to upset her."

"It's okay, Pen. She's just shy. She'll come around," Suyin reassured her.

After a moment's pause the fourth girl introduced herself, "I'm Chloe!" The three girls exchanged pleasantries and Lily quickly overheard one of them, she was now unsure who, murmur, "What about that last girl? She just went to bed without a word."

"I think that's that Potter girl," The other responded. They all hummed as if that explained everything.

"I suppose she thinks she's too good for us," Penny muttered.

"Oh, don't make assumptions about people," Suyin reprimanded, "She's probably just shy like the other girl. You two ought to stop gossiping and get some rest."

Finally, everyone had settled down and the room was filled with only the soft sounds of breathing and light snoring. Lily rolled over and looked up at the ceiling above her. Everyone else seemed to be asleep. She couldn't manage to get herself to fall into a slumber. All she could think about was how much she missed her family and her family friends. Rose was off in the Gryffindor common room she had heard so much about, probably sleeping in the same bed that her mother Hermione had once slept in. Lyra was off in Slytherin's dungeon probably having the time of her life and making instant friends with everyone around her. Tears percolated across her eyelids and she felt her face crumple in on itself as she started to cry silently. Eventually, her tired wet eyes shut and she managed to find a dreamless sleep after a good cry.

Lyra, meanwhile, was doing just as Lily had suspected and thoroughly enjoying herself. She had been enraptured by her common room and had spent several minutes marveling over the floor to ceiling window that looked into the black lake before she retired to her dormitory. She immediately found herself at home in the full sized poster beds with the black wooden posts carved into serpents. She stayed up for a solid hour chattering away with the girl in the bed beside her. She already knew that they would be fast friends. They only quieted down when the other girls finally shushed them and insisted they get a good night's sleep before the first day of classes the next day. Lyra and her new found friend Caroline laughed before relenting and tucking into bed.

Lyra had no struggle with falling asleep that night. She was entirely at peace. She knew she had found where she belonged and she felt entirely proud to be a Slytherin. These girls seemed to understand her in a way her primary school friends had not. They were equally inclined to darker humor and mischief. She wondered why Freddie had not also been sorted into Slytherin, but she chalked it up to lineage. A small yawn escaped her lungs and she was out like a light in a matter of seconds with a small smile curving at the corner of her mouth.


	19. Expectations

September 21st, 2017

Lily folded her legs underneath her in the chair by the fireplace. She propped her herbology book on her lap and read through it quietly. It had been twenty days and she still had not really done a great job at making friends in her house. She missed her sister terribly. She only saw her in class once a week, and they never talked. Lily had suggested that they study together in the great hall, but their schedules didn't allow for it. Perhaps after dinner in the library? Lyra disagreed, saying she usually spent that time after dinner playing Gobstones with her friends in their common room. Rose was equally disinterested in studying with Lily, stating that she did homework best on her own. Lily had never felt so alone. She normally would have talked to her dads about it, but she didn't want them to worry. It was better for her to just pretend everything was fine.

Even in her own house, Lily felt something of a loner. The other girls in her class had grown accustomed to each other, even the other shy girl. But Lily couldn't quite click with them. They were nice and all, but they didn't seem particularly inclined to spend time with her. So, this is how she spent most of her evening after classes and meals. She would curl up somewhere away from the rest of the kids in the common room, minding her own business as she did her homework. She knew that she would go to bed that night and try to sleep with little success. She didn't even feel comfortable going to the hospital wing for a sleeping draught. She didn't want her godmother to go to her dads and tell them she was struggling. She certainly couldn't let on in Herbology or really any subject because all the teachers seemed to know her father.

She had understood coming to the school that she was going to face some issues regarding her parentage. She knew both of her parents were well known, but she hadn't realized it was going to be this much of a burden. The little professor that had sorted them had been the Charms teacher when her dad was in school, as had the majority of the staff. The only major difference was the Herbology teacher, her godfather, and the Transfiguration professor that had replaced the Headmaster after the war. But even Professor Bones knew her family; she had been in her fathers' class. Worse still, Professor Bones was the head of her house so she could never escape her. So far the only professor she liked was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He was the only one that insisted being called by his first name. As he had said on the first day, "Let's get it out of the way. You are to call me Professor Aberforth and nothing else, got it?" She had heard whisperings in the class that his brother had been the famous Albus Dumbledore. Whether Aberforth knew it or not, he had something in common with the small, nervous Hufflepuff girl in his class. He was the only professor that Lily knew she could completely be herself around. He appeared to have no knowledge or care for her lineage, the only professor who had made no mention of it. She deeply respected him.

On the plus side, she figured, her lineage did mean that some of the professors were lenient with her. She knew that when she wrote up her short scroll on nettles she would get full marks on it. She did her work well. She did exactly what she was told and it served her well. She just wished that she had someone to spend time with when she finished her work.

Lily indeed finished all of her homework by eight. She didn't need to sleep for a solid two or three more hours, but she had nothing at all to do. She had developed a habit of reading to keep herself busy, but she couldn't bring herself to read that night. Instead she stayed tucked into her armchair and stared blankly at the fire, trying to think of something fun to do. There were older students at a table on the other side of the common room playing cards. The upperclassmen were still diligently doing their homework. The other first and second years were sitting in random groupings throughout the common room discussing whatever it is that friends talked about. Lily wondered privately why it was that she was so inept at making friends. She knew it was probably her shyness. She hated socializing. It was sort of hard to make friends with people if you didn't talk, but it was ever so much harder to actually talk to them.

She was so fixated on the flames that she didn't notice a pair of wondering eyes watching her from a few feet away. Benjamin, the boy she had been introduced to on her first night at Hogwarts, was doing his homework in the adjacent armchair in front of the fireplace. He had noticed Lily easily breezing through her Herbology and Potions homework. He, however, could not make rhyme or reason of any of it. He hesitated to ask for her help. He didn't want to bother her, but she seemed to do nothing more than stare absently at the fire. He realized he may be doing her a favor by interrupting her reverie. She looked infinitely bored.

He carefully stood and walked over to her. She didn't notice at all, too zoned out to notice anything happening in her surroundings. He cleared his throat beside the chair. She jumped slightly and looked around, only then noticing his existence.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if you would be able to help me with the Herbology homework? I couldn't help but notice you finished it rather fast. You don't have to or anything, I just thought —"

"Sure," Lily interrupted him easily, eager to just have something to do and someone to talk to. "What are you struggling with? Here, pull your chair over." He smiled in relief and pulled his chair over to her side and sat down with his book open in his lap, explaining where he had gotten stuck.

"Oh, yeah, well, that's an easy fix. You're looking at the wrong type of nettle," Lily said flipping the page of the herbology book.

His face flushed red, "Oh. Well. That explains it. Sorry about that."

"No it's okay, I'll still go through it with you if you want. Maybe when you write that up we can look at the Potions one since they're related?" Lily suggested.

He agreed and set to work scrawling out his short essay for Herbology. As he did, she watched him carefully. He was as quiet as she was, and he seemed just as polite and kind.

"So you're pretty good at flying, aren't you?" Benjamin asked as he scrawled, not looking up from his parchment.

"Hm? Oh, I suppose. Madam Hooch seems to think so anyway. Lyra's better than me though, she always has been. I may be able to fly, but I don't prefer it. I like floo powder travel much more."

"I know what you mean. My mum almost had me attend a muggle school instead of here because I'm really good at maths. But I actually hate the subject. It comes naturally to me, but I don't really have any interest in it. I managed to persuade her to let me come here instead."

Lily was intrigued that he was a muggle born. She didn't care about blood status one way or another, but she deeply cared about what it meant for her. It meant he didn't know her dads. She actually had a fresh start with him, unlike the other students who seemed to forever compare her to her dads.

"You know I'm not actually that good at flying," She confessed.

"Yeah, but you can get up in the air, can't you? I still can't manage that. All the other first years can float up a few feet and stay there a moment. I can't even get up off the ground," He sighed. He paused from his writing and looked up at her. He opened his mouth to say more, but he stopped himself and turned back to his parchment.

"What? What is it?" Lily asked, longing to know what he was trying to say.

He murmured so he was barely audible, "The other boys think I may be a squib."

Her eyes widened. She knew full well what this term meant. She was insulted for him, "Who said that? Which boys?"

"Most of the boys in our year. They don't really like me. If you ask me," He smiled to himself, "They'd be better off in Gryffindor with the rest of the jocks."

She couldn't help but smile slightly. Gryffindor had a really awful reputation of being full of arrogant boys and girls. While the Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry was far more legendary, Hufflepuffs rarely got along with them either. The running joke in the Hufflepuff common room was that the only reason Ravenclaws tolerated Gryffindors was because they were snobs in their own right. Despite his jab at their expense, Lily could tell he was bothered by what the boys had said. She looked over her shoulder and spotted the cluster of other first year boys sitting around a table and tossing chocolate frog cards back and forth, trading and comparing them.

"So they've all sort of formed a group and kept you out of it then?" Lily guessed.

"Yeah, something like that."

"I know what that's like," Lily said.

He shut the Herbology book and rolled up the parchment, "Yeah?"

She caught his eye briefly and nodded. They reached a silent understanding. They both had been ostracized in their own ways. They smiled sheepishly at each other before he fished out his Potions homework and they went over the nettle's contribution to the cure for boils.

* * *

 _The Next Night_

Lyra waved goodbye to her friends as she made her way through the Great Hall to the table nearest the front of the hall where her sister always sat. It turned out that the four vertical table set up delineating the houses was only used during sorting ceremonies. Otherwise, the tables in the hall were set in a square, with no distinction between houses. In general, however, the Gryffindors and Slytherins preferred the far west and east tables while the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws often preferred the north and south tables. True to fashion, Lyra's friends went to sit by the fireplace on the eastern wall and she spotted her sister eating quietly at the northern table.

It had been a minute since she had caught up on her sister. Lyra was privately starting to worry that Lily was getting unnaturally homesick. Whenever she saw her in passing or in class Lily seemed despondent compared to her typical cheery disposition.

So it was with immense relief that Lyra found her sister's glow returned to her when she sat down across from her.

"Had a decent week then?" Lyra guessed.

"Something like that. I think I may have made an actual friend."

"Izzy?"

"Who?"

"Y'know, the other Hufflepuff in your year who doesn't talk."

"Oh. No, I haven't talked to her yet. But maybe I should talk to her. No, she isn't who I was referring to."

"Then who have you suddenly learned to speak with?" Lyra teased mildly.

"This boy named Ben,"

"Oooh," Lyra crooned, "A boy, huh?"

"Not like that Lyra, Merlin's beard," Lily groaned.

"Whatever, point him out. I wanna know who this kid is."

"Why, so you can make fun of him?"

"Give me some credit, I only mock those that deserve to be mocked."

Lily rolled her eyes but leaned her head to the right. Lyra's eyes followed the direction to see a small brunette boy eating as he read a book dutifully. Lyra let out a soft sight through the nose. Her sister had an uncanny knack to only socialize with other introverts. She loved her sister, but she could not have been more opposite to her.

"Well, he'll do. He certainly can't be a bad influence anyway. You would do well to talk to Izzy though. She's a lot like you."

"How do you even know her?"

"Unlike you, I talk to people regularly. I chatted her up between classes. I know most of the first years now actually."

Lily scowled, "Good for you."

Lyra just laughed, "I mean really sis, did you expect it to be any other way?"

Lily sighed and shrugged, "I didn't think it would be this hard to…" She was cut off by a small muffin hitting her upside the head. It landed with a splat into the mashed potatoes on Lily's plate. Lyra watched her sister momentarily. Lily didn't even bother to look up, she just stared down at her plate. It took a single second for her face to redden and her eyes to water. Lyra whipped her head in the direction the muffin had come from.

A young Ravenclaw student still had their hand partially in the air and looked horrified. He sat just a few yards away.

"I-I'm sorry! I was trying to toss it at Kallie!"

A Ravenclaw student sitting a little ways away from Lily looked up curiously, "Did you say something Al?" She asked the boy.

"I was trying to get your attention," The teenager explained nervously, growing more terrified as they saw the stormy expression on Lyra's face. She hadn't looked away from them for a second. She stood and marched toward the kid. The assailant thought he was safe by sitting on the other side of the table. He tried to explain himself, not even realizing the angry girl before him was two years his junior, "I just wanted to ask her to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend. I didn't mean to hit your friend. I'm so so sorry," He muttered frantically.

Lyra smiled, "Oh it's fine. It happens right?"

"Right," The zitty teen said tentatively.

She shrugged and grinned wider for a moment before stepping up on the bench of the table and sliding herself across the table in one swift motion. She grabbed onto his robes and yanked him close to her, glaring up at him as he was a solid foot taller than her, "For the record, she's my sister, and if you mess with my baby sister you will regret it."

The Ravenclaw teen suddenly realized the dramatic difference in height and ascertained she was a first year as she spoke. He smirked, suddenly feeling brave, "Oh yeah? What's a little first year gonna do?"

"Well, if you haven't learned to fear me yet that's _your_ problem. But maybe you should be afraid that my fathers will here about this. Ever heard of Harry Potter or Draco Malfoy? My grandpa knows a few good curses. Lily happens to be his favorite. So maybe you'll think twice before you mess with her, or me, again. Got it?"

Truth be told, the student was terrified. He was half blood and he had heard all sorts of stories about the Malfoys. For all he knew, they were still torturing muggles and half bloods as a family past time. He knew Harry Potter would never hurt him. Or would he? He had fought for the majority of the wizarding world and defended Muggle borns and half bloods like himself but he had married a pure-blood terrorist? "O-okay, I'll leave you and your sister alone I swear."

"Good," Lyra hissed before letting him go and turning away from him. The Ravenclaw girl, Kallie, had not noticed the scene at all, but Lily had watched the whole thing. Before Lyra could sit back down beside her sister again Neville was striding down from the professor's table.

He stopped her short, "Lyra. What was that all about?"

She put on her best shit eating grin, "Nothing, God-dad."

Neville sighed, "Ly, did you threaten Al?"

She hesitated before shrugging, "Whether or not he interpreted what I said as a threat is up to him."

Neville couldn't help but smirk, "You would be an exceptional lawyer. Fifteen points from Slytherin and I'm writing your dads. No threatening the other kids, okay?"

Lyra scowled furiously and wanted to protest loudly but thought better of it. She would only be digging herself a grave if she did that. Neville turned to Lily and smiled, "You okay?"

She nodded quietly.

"Good. Enjoy dinner you two, refrain from more outbursts please Lyra."

As soon as Neville's back was to them Lyra stuck her tongue out at him. Lyra plopped back down next to her sister, "What's the point of having family work at the school if they don't even cut you any slack. It's like they've never heard of nepotism."

"Ly, I don't even know what nepotism means," Lily laughed.

At the professor's table Neville sat back down beside Minerva, who had watched every moment carefully. "So, about what you expected from Harry's kids?" Neville murmured to her as he sat down.

"Hardly."

He raised a brow briefly, "What did you expect?"

Minerva sniffed loudly, "While I do not pretend to make prophetic predictions about my students, I do usually indulge in a little intuition. No, Mr. Longbottom, I did not expect any of this. Personally, I did not expect to survive the war. Oh, don't start," She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to protest, "The bravest and strongest among us fell during that time. So no, I didn't expect this in the slightest. But on a less serious note, I did not expect these two girls. I expected another pair of Weasley twins, not Potter twins. Did I expect the children Harry brought to this institution to be children he adopted with Mr. Malfoy? Of course not. I strongly suspected he would stay with Ginny. But these girls remind me a great deal of him." Minerva paused and let a rare smile curve her lips. "Perhaps unexpected, but no less welcome."

"I can see how Lily reminds you of Harry, but not Lyra. She seems completely like Draco."

Minerva actually laughed, "No, they're both just like Harry in his first year. Lily is as shy and nervous as he was. Lyra is as much the troublemaker, though she certainly is more bold than either of her fathers were at this age."

"Alright, fair enough. Well then with all your wisdom, what do you suspect their future here will look like?"

"Too soon to tell… but I expect they won't disappoint."


	20. Brothers

October 4th, 2019

James usually didn't spend recess with his brother. It's not that they weren't close; James was almost done with primary school, he would be going to Hogwarts next year, it would be strange for him to spend his recess with his seven year old brother. Normally, he didn't see much of his brother while at school, he only saw him in passing. But while at recess that day, James felt a weird feeling of intuition as he was playing tag with his friends. He stopped chasing his friends and paused. Something didn't feel right. He turned toward the blacktop where several kids were playing. His vision seemed to hone in on a circle of young boys that were laughing and guffawing. He had a bad feeling.

Without an explanation to his friends, James suddenly ran across the playground to the blacktop until he was upon the boys. He spotted his brother in the middle of the circle of boys.

"Look at those stupid nails! They're sparkling!"

"What a fairy!"

"Only girls paint their nails, fairy!" One boy said with a laugh before spitting on Caelum's shoes.

James tapped on this boy's shoulder. To his surprise, the boys picking on his baby brother were in his grade, not Caelum's. This did not sway him.

"Hey," The boy said as he turned around and recognized James, "Did you know your brother is a bloody queen?"

James turned his gaze to his brother, assessing the situation. His brother was crying, covering his face. Indeed, he had painted his nails with Lily's bright purple glitter polish. He was physically undamaged. Caelum peeked from behind his hands and made eye contact with his brother.

James sniffed loudly and looked back at the boy in front of him. All four of the bullies were waiting to see how he would react.

"He isn't a bloody anything, but you're about to be." James launched his right fist straight for the boys nose, breaking it instantly. James hadn't expected his hand to immediately hurt, nor had he expected the other boys to respond the way they did. While one of the bullies held onto his bleeding friend, the other two charged at James.

...

"He what?" Harry said into the receiver.

"Your son, James Potter-Malfoy, has been suspended for engaging in a physical fight. You need to come pick him up immediately. He isn't to attend school for the next two days."

"Er, alright. I guess I'll be there shortly." Harry hung up the phone and scratched at the stubble growing on his chin, thinking hard.

"What Muggle was that?" Draco called from the top of the stairs. He had jumped in alarm in his study when the ring had echoed through the house and his curiosity had gotten the best of him.

Harry was almost honest, but he thought better of it, "Telemarketer."

"Ugh. I thought you blocked our number from those?"

"It's not always effective. I'm gonna go grab a bite, you want anything?"

"Harry we both just ate," Draco said from the top of the stairs. Harry went to the front door and looked behind him to his husband, "You know me, I'm never full."

Draco smirked, "That's true. I'm good, thanks. Be safe."

"Of course, I'll be right back," Harry murmured before stepping outside and heading to their car. Living in a Muggle neighborhood for the past decade had meant making a lot of necessary changes. It was hard to go to the grocery store, take the kids to school, or really do anything without a car in this area.

Harry drove directly to the school where his son was patiently waiting in a chair in the lobby. He looked up at his dad without a word or change in expression. He had a blossoming black eye and a cut on his lip. Harry turned to the receptionist, "Do I need to talk to someone about this? Or am I supposed to just pick him up?"

The man looked up and absently pushed a piece of paper across the desk, "Sign this and take him. If you have any questions or concerns you can call the vice principal directly during her office hours which are listed on the top right of said form." The poor man had clearly said the same lines a hundred times. Harry sighed and signed the form. He tucked it into his jacket pocket as he turned to James. He nodded to the door and headed out, his son silently following.

Harry didn't speak until they were in the car. He didn't start the engine. He glanced in the rearview mirror. His ten year old son was already buckled in and staring at his folded hands in his lap. James looked disarmingly like his namesake, with only subtle differences. James didn't have his dad's green eyes or his grandfather's hazel, but his biological mother's pale blue.

"Care to explain what I'm doing here in the middle of the day?"

"I got in trouble for punching a boy," He mumbled softly. He was never this quiet. In fact, they could rarely get him to shut up.

"And why did you do that?"

"Well, Caelum painted his nails and a bunch of boys were laughing at him. He was crying. They called him a fairy and a queen."

Harry found himself gripping the steering wheel too tightly, "And?"

"I punched the boy mocking him. Then him and his friends started to gang up on me, but then the teacher came over. She split us up and told me off for starting a fight."

"What happened to the bully?"

"Nothing, he just laughed as I got dragged off."

"Wait here for a minute, okay?"

"Dad what are you doing?" James asked.

"Don't worry. Just stay put," Harry insisted as he got out of the car and went back into the school.

"Hey, quick question," Harry said with a grin as he reappeared in the office, "What teacher filed the suspension? I just want to clear things up with her quick before I head home with my little criminal."

"Mrs. Peterson, would you like me to call her?"

"Please do, the sooner we speak the better."

The professor happened to be in a free period and agreed to come down to the office. She entered with a serene smile, "Mr. Potter, how can I help?"

"Did you happen to ask my son why he punched a kid in the face?"

"I'm afraid we have a zero tolerance policy at this school, sir," She said defensively as her smile vanished.

"Oh good, so you also suspended the boy who called my youngest son a fairy for having painted nails then? I'm assuming zero tolerance covers verbal harassment doesn't it?"

"I'm afraid you've lost me."

"My son was defending his brother. An older kid was calling Caelum a fairy and a queen. I'm not saying James doesn't deserve to be punished, but you've let the real guilty kid off free. You can't expect the kids of two gay men to be treated like this and not get backlash. If I don't get word within two days that that bully was suspended I'm filing a formal complaint. You can't let this shit happen. It's 2019 for Christ's sake," Harry was fuming and his face was turning red.

The professor stood there, humbled but frustrated, "I will do what I can in regards to the incident, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now Mr. Potter."

Harry agreed and left calmly. He plopped back into the parked car and headed home. James watched him carefully for a few minutes before quietly murmuring, "Am I grounded?"

"Well, daddy doesn't know you're suspended just yet. When I tell him, we will discuss what your punishment will be."

Harry had hoped to not tell Draco until later that night, but it was just his luck that his husband was lounging around the living room when they walked in.

"What's going on?" Draco asked before he registered that his son had a black eye.

"James, tell daddy what happened," Harry encouraged gently.

Again, James was uncharacteristically shy and stared at the ground as he told Draco about what had happened. Harry and Draco exchanged looks as their son talked. When James sheepishly looked up at his father and murmured, "Am I in trouble?" Draco couldn't help but smile weakly. James reminded them of Lyra in many ways, but this humility was uniquely his. Draco tried to smooth out James' unruly hair, "Dad and I will talk about it. Why don't you go clean yourself up? There should be some bruise tonic left in the medicine cabinet."

"Okay daddy," James murmured before running up the stairs.

"What's your instinct here?" Harry asked his husband softly so as not to be overheard.

"He defended his brother, he shouldn't get in trouble for that. But he did resort to physical violence."

Harry shrugged, "I dunno, he threw one punch in extenuating circumstances. His grandfathers would have certainly done the same."

Draco frowned. Harry wasn't wrong there. "But that doesn't necessarily make it right."

"He didn't escalate either. He threw one punch and then they tried to beat the shit out of him. He didn't try to take down all of them. He was deflecting damage they may have done to Caelum. Merlin only knows what they may have said to him before James showed up, or what could have happened if he hadn't. Besides, isn't two day suspension punishment enough?"

Draco sighed and admitted defeat, "Alright, we don't need to punish him anymore than he already has been."

James was relieved when his fathers let him off the hook. He had been terrified of his brooms being locked up. He didn't know what he would do with himself if he couldn't practice flying in their magically enclosed yard. He tucked into bed peacefully that night across the room from his little brother.

"You okay Cael?" James murmured so their dads wouldn't hear them talking from their room down the hall.

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"I did what any good brother would do, you would do the same for me."

"I don't know if I'm that brave. I would be scared of getting hurt."

"Yeah but better you get hurt than someone you care about right?"

"I guess. But what if something went wrong and I was really badly hurt or killed? How am I supposed to protect my loved ones then?"

"I suppose… but sometimes love protects longer than that. Grandma died protecting dad and that's what saved him more than once when he was in a bad spot."

"I think that only works if it's a real sacrifice. If you died getting beaten to a pulp by some bullies for calling me a fairy I don't think it counts as a major sacrifice. Of course I would save you if your life was in danger. I just don't think I'm brave enough to get badly hurt for you."

"That's okay little brother," James reassured him, "You're different and that's okay, but sometimes you have to stand up for yourself. Never let someone tell you that who you are isn't right. Only you get to decide who you are."

"What would you say to a bully who called you a queen?"

James thought for a moment before smiling, "That my first decree as queen is that they are banished from the playground and are now peasants."

Caelum couldn't help but laugh. The boys stifled their laughter so as not to wake up their dads. When their mirth had given way to more soft silence Caelum chimed in, "I wish I was that quick witted. I just stumble over my words." James didn't reply. Caelum frowned and sat up in bed, squinting through the darkness to see his brother was sound asleep. The youngest Potter-Malfoy child sighed and laid back down in bed. It was hard to be the last born in this family. His parents were a hero and a healer. His eldest sister was the coolest, Lily was the kindest, and James was the bravest. What did that make him? The young boy fell into a restless sleep, longing to know how his future would pan out.


	21. Deja Vu

September 1st, 2021

Harry shepherded his children onto Platform 9 ¾ yet again, but there was something decidedly different about this occasion. Nobody but his family and a few select others knew he would be boarding the train as well today. Lily and Lyra were not terribly excited to have their father join them and tried to keep their distance. Rather than waiting until the last second to board as they usually did, they kissed their dads goodbye quickly after arriving on the platform and jumped onto the train to find an empty cabin. They didn't want anyone knowing until the last possible second what new change was coming to Hogwarts this year.

James couldn't have gotten on the train with his sisters if he had wanted to, however, because Caelum had his arms locked around his brother so tight he couldn't move.

"I promise I'll write a bunch."

"No, just don't leave at all," Caelum insisted.

"I have to, Cael. You'll get to come with me in a couple years."

"Really," Harry said, "It'll go by faster than you think."

Caelum reluctantly let go of his brother and wiped his tears off on his sleeve.

"I'll be home for Christmas. Besides, you still have daddy."

"But I won't have dad," Caelum looked back at Harry with great melancholy.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Draco muttered bitterly to himself.

James heard him and smirked, "But daddy can have fun too. Trust me, it won't be bad." He said one last goodbye to his brother before turning to Draco and hugging him.

Draco squeezed his son tight for a moment and murmured, "Thanks for the vote of confidence. You behave yourself okay?"

"Y'know dad," His son replied as he let go, "When you say things like that it really makes you sound like the un-fun dad."

Draco rolled his eyes and nudged his shoulder, "Okay, go, I've had enough of you. But seriously, be good. Dad will know if you're misbehaving"

"We'll see about that," James laughed before turning to the train. Harry stopped him short, "Hey, where's my hug, mister?" The first year protested that they were both riding the train anyway. "Yeah, I know, but it's not like you're going to let me give you hugs in school." James shrugged, admitting his father was right, and gave him a quick hug before boarding the unmoving train to find a cabin.

It was now Harry's turn to exchange goodbyes. He knelt and held his youngest son close. He was going to miss him dearly. Between the other three, Caelum was often the calm in the center of the storm. Lily and Lyra had their spats, James had his antics, and yet Caelum somehow was always keeping to himself, quietly reading and watching the world go by. Caelum had managed to compose himself by now, but he was still remiss to be saying goodbye to the fun dad. Harry reassured him, "You're going to be okay, Cael. If you ever want to talk to me all you have to do is send a letter, you know I always have time for you, and if you ever desperately need me I can always pop by via floo powder too, but only when daddy is being extra unreasonable."

Draco chimed in, "Hey, I know how to have fun. I just got a new set of chess set and Caelum can kick my arse every day if it'll make him feel better."

"Draco, language," Harry admonished his husband as their son laughed.

Draco smirked as Harry stood, taking an opportunity to wink at Caelum. Clearly some rules would be less enforced without Harry around.

"I saw that," Harry shook his head as he faced his husband. He wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. They kissed briefly (ignoring the sound of Cael making sickly sounds behind them) before holding each other tight. Harry would visit when he could, as would Draco, but it was going to be rough. They had rarely spent much time apart, and it had only ever been for brief stretches of time. They were both anxious about this separation, but they were prepared and willing to face it.

Harry finally let go of his husband and boarded the train as it began to steam. He waved goodbye briefly to his family before ducking inside the train so as not to draw attention. James' head popped out a window along the train. He hollered and waved at his family as the red steam engine pulled away. The twins appeared a few cars down, waving just as fiercely. Draco and Caelum waved to their beloved family until it seemed their hands would surely fall off, only stopping when the train was nothing but a red dot down the tracks.

Draco sighed softly and looked down at his dirty blonde son who looked so much like himself. Caelum looked up at his father with watery eyes.

"I know," Draco murmured, putting an arm around his son's shoulders, "We'll be okay."

"Dean, am I seeing things or is that Draco Malfoy?" A thick Irish accent came from behind them.

"Pretty sure that's his son, Shay," Another voice replied just as Draco turned and saw, much to his surprise, Dean and Seamus Finnigan. Seamus was staring perplexingly at the small boy before catching on that indeed it was the taller blonde that was the eldest Malfoy.

Draco raised a brow in surprise, "Merlin, what are you two doing here? I haven't seen you since — it couldn't possibly be the wedding could it?"

"Ah, we chanced each other at the last world cup, but we couldn't talk longer than five minutes," Dean said with a casual, forgiving smile.

Seamus looked a bit more bristled, "Don't cut him slack, I almost mistook his son for him 'cause it's been so long. I thought I hadn't seen you since first year at this rate!"

Draco rolled his eyes but smiled, "Do you just get more hyperbolic as you age? Is that what this is?"

Seamus laughed, "Probably. But where are my manners?" He held out his hand to the short blonde boy, "I'm Seamus Finnigan, and who might you be?"

Caelum glanced at his dad, unsure who these men were though they seemed vaguely familiar, "I-I'm Caelum — Caelum Rubeus Potter-Malfoy." He timidly shook the Irishman's hand.

Seamus let out a laugh and turned back to Draco, "I reckon the middle name was Potter's idea? You finally forgive poor Hagrid for the hippogriff 'attack'?"

"Yes, it was his idea. And shush, he doesn't need to know about that," Draco hinted.

Seamus turned back to Caelum, "So dad never told you about his time at Hogwarts?"

"Only some," Caelum shrugged.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Draco changed the subject quickly.

"Oh, we just saw our daughter Sophie off," Dean explained, silently grabbing his husband by the hand and pulling him back. He knew how badly Seamus wanted to mock Draco, but he knew now was not the time nor the place.

"She's already off to school? I didn't realize she and James were the same age."

"Yeah, she just turned eleven last month so she barely made the cut off. What about James, I didn't know it was his first year already?"

"Yeah, looks like they're in the same class. They don't even know each other though, do they?" Draco admitted shyly.

"I reckon not. Sophie was at her grandparents when we went to the last world cup. Neither of them had been born when we all went to Ginny and Terry's wedding," Dean reasoned, "So, no, I don't think they do. But it'll be interesting to see if they happen to coincide. What house do you think he'll get in?"

"Gryffindor. He takes after his father," Draco spoke proudly.

"You don't say? Well, not to brag, but I bet our good old girl will be in our house too. But she has a fair chance at Ravenclaw, so we'll see," Seamus beamed.

"I think they're the last of our generation's kids going off to school then. Only other kid I know starting this year is Ginny's son, Rhys. Last of the Weasleys, at least for now," Draco remarked.

"Oh no, I reckon Neville's girl will be last. What's her name again?"

"Daisy," Draco recalled, "I'd almost forgotten. It's been too long since we've seen everyone. We really need a reunion of some kind."

"Well, we could always have a Dumbledore's Army get together, provided you didn't try to break us up and report us," Seamus smirked.

Draco's cheerful expression faltered and he grimaced, "That's nice, Seamus."

"He's joking," Dean insisted, "But he has a good idea. We should throw a get together some time. If anybody has issue with you being there, well, they aren't liable to say anything with Harry around. Everybody knows you're mad for him anyway. How long has it been now?"

"Our seventeenth anniversary is next month," Draco replied instantly. He felt incredibly old to admit it, but reminded himself how young they were when they married. He was only forty one. Merlin's beard, he was forty one. "Okay, saying that out loud makes me feel horrifically old. It's been nice to catch up, but now I have to go and rot slowly with age."

His old friends cracked with laughter and bid them farewell before departing back through the platform entrance.

...

"Listen, Ly, I need to go down to the prefect's cabin," Lily said a quarter of an hour after the train had set off.

Lyra glanced from her twin sister over toward her friends Caroline and Cletus. They had more or less become Lily's friends as well, despite their being in different houses. She turned back to her sister, "Do you have to? You don't even know them."

"That's the point, I need to make alliances with them so that we can support each other in making sure that students are behaving."

Caroline laughed, "Oh you're such a perfect little Hufflepuff."

Lyra smirked, "Fine, go have fun with your fellow nerds."

"You act like there's no Slytherin prefect."

"Of course there is, and it's that nerd Prescott," Cletus teased.

"Mollie is the other Slytherin prefect and you like her."

"Barely," Lyra sniffed, "She hates Lion King."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'll catch you guys in the Great Hall?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lyra said dismissively.

Lily laughed to herself and turned to head down the corridor of the train toward the prefect's cabin. Halfway there she was startled by one of the cabin doors sliding open abruptly. She jumped out of the way as a cat ran from the cabin and down the hall, followed by her brother.

"James!"

"Hang on!" He hollered as he caught up to the cat and scooped it up. The wily gray cat squirmed against him, hissing and spitting angrily.

"Whose cat is that?"

"My buddy's," James explained as he head back toward the open cabin he had exited. She glanced over to her right and looked in to see some first years watching curiously from the open cabin. A boy reached out and accepted the wriggling cat from James as he entered the cabin. "Thanks James, he always manages to escape his cage." The young boy tucked the cat into the cage again. Lily leaned in through the open door and slipped her wand out of her robes, pointing it at the cat carrier, "Colloportus. There, that should help."

The young kid looked up at her happily, "Thank you!"

"James," Lily said with a raised brow, "Less trouble making please."

"I didn't cause trouble, I was helping a friend," James pouted irritably.

She smiled, "I know, but still." She swept away and headed toward the prefects cabin. Why was she not surprised he had made friends in under an hour?

The shabby brunette boy with the cat turned to him, "How do you know a prefect?"

"She's my older sister," James rolled his eyes.

"I'm so jealous, she's so cool. She must have taught you a bunch of magic at home."

"No, Lily never thought it was a good idea. Lyra taught me a few tricks when I got my wand a few weeks ago though."

"Who's Lyra?" Asked the second boy, a neatly dressed taller fellow with slick hair.

"My other sister, they're twins."

"Wait, are you a Weasley?" The shabby boy asked.

"No," James laughed, "Do I have red hair?"

"But I heard not all of them have red hair now."

"Well Rhys doesn't, he got his dad's dark hair. But no, I'm not a Weasley. My name's James Sirius Potter-Malfoy." He was unaware that his shoulders pulled back as he said who he was, puffing out his chest with pride.

"You're Harry Potter's son?"

"I am."

"I just got his chocolate frog card the other day! Your dad is legendary."

"I don't know, I think he's kind of lame."

Both boys laughed and the subject of his famous lineage was quickly dropped. The boys introduced themselves properly. The boy with the reckless cat was named Arnold Dawkins and the pristine boy was Clarence Bailey. The boys pooled their pocket change together and collected as much candy as they could from the trolley as it came around. James laughed when he opened his chocolate frog and saw his aunt Hermione waving at him from the card inside. He had no idea his family were so notorious to be on the cards. He flipped it over and read the passage about her:

 _Hermione Jean Granger is notable for her part in defeating Lord Voldemort in the second wizarding war. After the war, Hermione pursued a career in the Ministry of Magic. She helped to change the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures into the Department for the Welfare of Magical Beings. She is now the head of the department and works with magizoologist Rolf Scamander to create laws to restrict the abuse of magical beings including but not exclusive to: house elves, goblins, centaurs, and more commonly known magical creatures such as hippogriffs and thestrals. She enjoys any and all books and recreational rune reading._

James was unaware of the vast majority of this information. He only knew her as his wicked smart aunt who made the best biscuits for Christmas. He had no idea what she did every day. He smiled proudly to know that he was loved by such a clever, brilliant witch.

"Hey, I got your dad!" Arnold said excitedly as he thrust the card toward James.

"I've already seen his," He started to say before realizing that it was not his bespectacled father staring up at him from the card but his other father. "Wait, when did he get a card?"

"There should be a trademarked year on the bottom," Clarence pointed out, flipping to the backside with the biography and pointing to a tiny scrawled number: 2020. James picked up Hermione's card from where it had fallen in his lap and flipped to the back again. This card read in molecular gold script: 2015.

He dropped his aunt's card back on the seat. Clarence snatched it up, "Oh, I don't think I had Hermione Granger yet. Is it okay if I keep this?"

James nodded absently as he read the back of his father's card:

 _Despite once being a Death Eater, Draco Malfoy is now most known for being the Director of St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries. After his family vanished from the war, they were absolved of their crimes by Prime Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt. Draco went on to marry Harry Potter himself, creating a stir in both conservative and progressive wizarding communities. Since the end of the war, he has worked tirelessly in his career as a healer, rising the ranks to become Director. He deeply enjoys watching Quidditch matches and reading muggle literature._

James stared blankly as he finished reading the card. He flipped it over and stared at his father. The photo looked recent. Why hadn't he known this card existed? More importantly perhaps, how had he not know his father was once a Death Eater? As he sat in the train, he could vividly remember when he was very young and had been reading with his father. His arms around his son, James couldn't help but notice the obscenely long scar on his daddy's arm. He had pointed it out, interrupting his father's storytelling, and asked what it was.

"Oh, that's a scar."

"From what?"

"Daddy made a mistake and it hurt him really badly."

"Like when I fell off my broom and got a cut?"

"Yeah, something like that."

He leaned back against his seat in the train, thinking so intently he hardly knew what was going on around him. His attention was finally grabbed again by Clarence waving a hand in front of his face, "Hello? Earth to James?"

"Hm?"

"We asked you what house you were hoping to get in, and you didn't say anything."

"Oh, sorry."

"What's up?" Arnold chimed in, watching his new friend curiously.

"Did…" He hesitated and held up his father's chocolate frog card briefly, "Did you know about this stuff?"

"Of course," Clarence shrugged, "Everyone knows about it."

"Well," Arnold clarified, "Anyone who keeps track of wizard news. I don't imagine a great deal of muggle borns will know."

"Wait, did you not know your dad was a Death Eater?" Clarence asked, his tone shifting to one of shock and awe.

"N-no, he never told us," James muttered as he shoved the card into the pocket of his street jeans he was still wearing. Only the prefects already had their robes on.

"Well, can't say I blame him. Would you want to tell your kids something like that?" Arnold suggested sympathetically.

"Yeah, you're right," James cleared his throat, "Hey can you pass me the treacle tart? Those are my favorite."

Seeing that he wanted to drop the conversation of his heritage, his new friends quickly let it go with him and carried on chatting around their pile of snacks.

They changed into their robes just before the train came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. The first years milled on off the red train and were startled by a booming voice, "FIRS' YEARS. FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY."

James turned around and saw up ahead a giant man with a thick bushy black mane gesturing for the young ones to follow him. James, Clarence, and Arnold followed the small crowd of first years and the ridiculously large man down from Hogsmeade toward the black lake. They ended up toward the front of the crowd by coincidence. The tall man turned to be sure there were no stragglers. As he did, his small dark eyes flitted down and locked onto James' eyes.

"Blimey, if that ain't Harry's boy. Now, are you the one he keeps telling me about that has me name?" The giant said with a barely visible grin under his giant moustache and beard.

"I don't know, my name is James Sirius."

The man's eyes scrunched slightly, "Ah of course he named ye after 'em. I knew both the men you were named af'er. I 'ad Sirius' bike once upon a time. Not sure what 'appened to it to be perfe'tly honest."

"I'm sorry," James said shyly, "But who are you?"

His cheery disposition faltered slightly, "Ah, I'll have a good yell at your dad for that one. How could he not tell ya? Not yer fault though. The name is Rubeus Hagrid, keeper o' the grounds and professor at Hogwarts."

James beamed, "Oh! Dad's told us about you! I just didn't know what you looked like. My little brother was named after you!"

"Ah, yeah, that's the one. Can't hardly wait to meet him. Is he the last of ye?"

"Yes, Caelum is the youngest."

"I reckoned. Four kids. Blimey, if he ain't trying to outdo the Weasleys," Hagrid seemed to mutter to himself before bellowing to the crowd, "FIRS' YEARS INTO THE BOATS. ONLY FIVE AT TIME PLEASE."

They had reached the edge of the black lake and boarded the boats that were awaiting them at the shore. The crowd of students surged forward. James barely managed to get in the same boat as his new friends. The two other students that joined them were unfamiliar to him, though that was of little surprise. The only other student he knew that was starting this year was Rhys Weasley, and he was nowhere in sight yet. Once all of them had boarded, the boats lurched forward, pulling them across the lake by magic. James exchanged furtive looks with the other students. The two girls were talking animatedly. One girl had pin straight blonde hair down to her shoulders, the other a razor sharp bob that looked entirely inappropriate on so young a face. He associated such a look with only middle aged suburban mothers, the likes of which he was delighted to not interact with again. He truly hated living in the muggle suburb with his family. He had always hoped they would move, but perhaps once Caelum went to school his parents wouldn't object to the notion so much.

Ignoring the gossiping girls, the boys started their own conversation about who their favorite national Quidditch teams were. As they were all having their separate discussions, however, the boats turned a bend in the lake and they came in full sight of the castle. All of the first years hushed and looked up toward the castle. The ones who had been raised by alum of this prestigious school had been looking forward to this day since they could remember. The muggle borns were just in awe that they were really becoming a part of a magical, exclusive world. The windows that dotted the castle walls were all glowing in a warm candlelight and the full moon behind it gave the exterior of the school a cool glow.

Dazed by the wondrous beauty of Hogwarts, many of the students were hardly aware as they were shuffled off the boats and lead up a long winding staircase toward the entrance of the Great Hall. Out of breath from climbing well over a hundred stairs, the children clumped together in the empty entrance hall. Hagrid had left them at the front door and disappeared. They were greeted in the entryway by a rather tiny wizard with a high pitched voice who gathered them in two orderly lines before the Great Hall's shut doors.

A moment later they were striding in through the grand entrance between two incredibly long tables. The banners above indicated that they were walking right between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. James' head swiveled around as he tried to spot his sisters. Lyra was peering from the far table on the right, watching eagerly with a giant grin. Lily reached out as he passed and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. She worried he looked scared, but in truth he was in awe at the grandeur of the hall. The tiny wizard lead them up to the front of the hall before placing a small stool (almost as tall as he was) in front of him and placing a raggedy hat on it.

James was unsurprised when the hat began to sing of its duty to the school and the traits of the houses. His sisters had done their job in preparing him for what was to come, having professed they were startled when they first arrived themselves. James waited his turn patiently as the students around him were sorted. The first student was put into Hufflepuff to raucous applause on their right. He glanced over and watched his sister greet the small first year girl. He was startled when he heard, "Bailey, Clarence," announced to come forth. He had already forgotten how quickly his friends would be sorted. He hoped they remained together and would not be split apart by house.

The hat sat upon the smooth flat hair of the prim and proper boy. It sat there quite longer than it had on the first girl. Just as James was hearing people whisper if the hat was broken, it burst out loudly, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Despite not having been sorted yet, James felt relief for his friend. They had all hoped they would end up in Gryffindor. Each of them had family from the house, so they had good reason to suspect they may get in, despite James' warning that it wasn't always going to apply since it clearly didn't with Lily.

"Dawkins, Arnold," was called shortly thereafter. James wished him luck quietly before he headed out of the crowd of first years and sat upon the stool. He too ended up in Gryffindor. James watched nervously as students continued to be sorted. The girl with the weird haircut that had sat in his boat was apparently named Easton, Esmerelda which James found it incredibly fitting. She ended up in Ravenclaw, which relieved him somehow. The blonde girl that she had been chattering with followed her: Finnigan, Sophie was sorted into Gryffindor as well. The crowd thinned considerably before it was James' turn. The wizard who had been calling names had been expressionless until that moment. His eyes twinkled and a small curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Potter-Malfoy, James Sirius."

James stepped slowly forward. As he did, he glanced up and noticed the Headmistress watching him coolly but with keen interest. His father sat directly beside her, despite the fact that Defense Against the Dark Arts professor never usually sat beside the Headmaster. Harry smiled reassuringly toward his son. He turned and sat on the stool, facing the crowd of onlooking students. Every single pair of eyes seemed to be drawn to him, watching closely as the hat was delicately placed upon his head.

The hat whispered in his ear, "The Potters live on I see? I can sense their blood in you, oh yes. The pride of your forefathers runs thick in you. There's no doubt where you truly belong, dear boy. But perhaps you have an opinion of it like your father before you?"

James thought intently, _I want to go in whatever house I belong in, that's all_

"Oh, but you forget I can see inside your mind. You have a particular inclination for Gryffindor don't you?"

 _Yes…_

"And why's that?"

 _I want to make my father proud and … I want to take pride in myself._

"Ah yes, that's what I thought. Then I guess you better be GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table stood in raucous applause, far greater than the applause received for Arnold and Clarence. He headed directly to his house table, not looking back to notice the exchange happening between three professors at the head table.

"That'll be ten galleons," Neville leaned over to whisper to Harry.

"For the record, I'm not surprised," Harry said as he handed the change over to his friend. Minerva was chuckling beside them, betraying a rare smile.

"Oh, as if you thought he would go anywhere else," Harry commented dryly.

"With a name like that? Frankly, Harry, I don't see why you even added Draco's surname onto his. He is a pure Potter, through and through. He looks just like you and your father. Are you sure he had a mother at all?" Neville teased as Minnie laughed.

Harry smiled proudly as he watched his son sit down beside two young boys he was clearly already acquainted with and chat lively with them before being shushed by the next sorting.

* * *

 _A/N: Goddamn guys I'm so sorry about the coding error. This is what I get for trying to do it on my phone during the holidays. Thank you guys for being patient!_


	22. Happy Accident

October 9th, 2021

Lyra snapped her textbook shut and stuffed it in her school bag. She stood from the seat in the dining hall where most students preferred studying on the weekend. Lily huffed, "You're making a huge mistake."

"Oh stop acting like I'm in any risk of falling behind or failing my exams. You know I'll be fine. I don't need straight O's like you do. I really do wonder how you didn't end up in Ravenclaw."

Lily ignored this, "Skipping on study time to go joke around in Hogsmeade is hardly advisable for any student."

"And what are ya gonna do about it? I'm not breaking any rules, Miss Prefect. If Caroline, Cletus, and I want to go get sugar highs you can't stop us," Lyra retorted. Her sister had always insufferably followed the rules and nagged her to do the same but it had grown more annoying and frustrating since she had become a prefect. Lyra really wanted to know what compelled Professor Bones and McGonagall to allow her more authority to tell people off when they were misbehaving. Not that she was power hungry, but she was overly obedient more often than not.

Lyra shouldered her bag, "Have fun spending the last warm Saturday in the library studying."

"I will," Lily sniffed dismissively as she looked back down into her transfiguration textbook.

Lyra snorted and rolled her eyes as she exited the library. She headed down to the dungeons and slipped into her common room. She good naturedly greeted her fellow Slytherins as she made her way up to her dormitory. She threw her bag haphazardly on her unmade bed and popped open her truck with a flick of her wand. She changed out of her usual school robes into clothes she felt far more comfortable in: slim black jeans, an old soft flannel, and a cargo jacket. She had agreed to meet Caroline and Cletus at Hogsmeade. Cletus had Quidditch practice earlier in the day and Caroline was busy in the greenhouses in the early afternoon.

As she opened the magnificent front doors of the castle and started off she noticed Freddie jumping the steps two at a time ahead of her. She grinned and rushed down the stairs just in time to tap his left shoulder. He turned around just as she ducked to his right. He turned, looking puzzled, only for his expression to shift to amusement when he found her.

"Really? That old gag?"

"Would you have preferred I covered your eyes and said 'guess who'?" Lyra teased.

Freddie scowled, "Ugh, no. I've seen Destiny do that enough times with Xavier. The very sentence makes me queasy."

"Those two are still all over each other? Wow, that's gotta be the longest fling she's ever had. Normally they only last two weeks."

"Merlin willing she'll get bored of him soon. Lyra, she sneaks into the boys dorm and I can't begin to describe how horrific it is to go take a nap and find those two snogging like their lives depend on it," Freddie emphasized pathetically.

Lyra still carried a grin on her face, always seeming to be on the edge of a laugh, "Could have been worse, they could have been shagging."

Freddie glanced away, "Y-yeah, that would be worse. Where you headed today?"

"Gonna meet my friends in Hogsmeade."

"Oh! I was just headed there myself. Rox isn't feeling great and I was going to get her some treats to cheer her up. We could walk together? I mean, if you're not waiting for your friends."

"Yeah, we can go together. I was going to meet them there anyway. I'm sure they won't mind you joining."

"Even if I'm a Gryffindor?" Freddie mused as they headed off toward the bridge that lead into town.

Lyra rolled her eyes, "You're barely a Gryffindor. You know the difference between our houses is minute."

"Fair enough, and I know Cletus and Caroline like me anyway."

"I never said I was meeting them specifically."

Freddie seemed flustered again. Though the blush was hardly evident on his smooth dark skin, his face was warm despite a cool breeze. "Oh, I just assumed. Wh-who are you meeting?"

Lyra glanced at him and laughed, "I'm just fucking with you, I'm meeting them."

His insides uncoiled themselves with relief, "You're such a pain in the arse."

Lyra beamed, "I know it."

"So how are your classes going? I mean, I know you're probably doing splendidly in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I strongly suspect that's only because your dad cuts you slack," Freddie said in jest.

"Shut up," Lyra rolled her eyes as she gently shoved him, "So rude. See this is why everyone thinks Gryffindor is an evil house."

"I think you're getting your house and my house mixed up, Ly."

"No, I'm pretty sure the chamber of secrets had a lion in it and Tom Riddle was a good for nothing Gryffindor like my evil dad."

Freddie couldn't help but laugh. They carried on this way as they headed into town, routinely cracking each other up over silly things. Oftentimes it felt like their humor only made sense with each other. Lyra knew she couldn't joke with such vulgarity around most people, save her Slytherin friends. If her fathers heard some of the gruesome things she laughed about they may have been mildly horrified. But Freddie was never daunted by her R rated humor and often partook in it himself.

As they entered the grounds of Hogsmeade they continued to walk side by side as Lyra looked around for her friends. But by the time they had reached the end of the high street, they had not seen them.

"Maybe they're just running late?" Freddie suggested unhelpfully.

Lyra frowned and glanced at her cheap Lion King watch she had owned for years. It was already three and they had agreed to meet at two, "If anything I'm the late one."

"Well, why don't we just go from place to place? They may just be in one of the shops."

Lyra squared her shoulders, "Yeah, that's probably the best bet. Want to stop by your dad's first?"

"Last please. Dad never shuts up when I come by, tries to rope me into testing out his products in the common room."

"Loud and clear, Honeydukes it is."

The young teens entered the sweets store and were greeted with a delight of colors and smells. Lyra instantly gravitated toward the chocolate fountain. Unlike standard muggle contraptions, this fountain was nothing short of a masterpiece. It took up a good section of the store with a stone basin resting on the floor. A gushing arc of chocolate rose three feet into the air from it. Somehow the chocolate that propelled from the fountain formed the shape of a pumpkin in midair. Small children that lived in the village were gathered around the basin dipping cookies and treats into the warm chocolate. Hogwarts students, lightly bundled in their scarves and jackets, skewered bits of marshmallow and fruit on rods, dipping them into the stream of chocolate and laughing joyously when it would happen to splash someone with chocolate.

Lyra joined this crowd as Freddie tagged along behind her, "What should I smother in chocolate today?" She asked her companion.

"Why don't you stick to something ordinary like a strawberry?" Freddie suggested, glancing at the pile of assorted fruits waiting to be doused in rich milk chocolate.

She made a face, "Since when do I ever go for the ordinary choice?"

He sighed but smiled, "Almost never."

"Precisely. I think I'll try a sugar quill," She said as she turned to grab one from the shelf behind the fountain. She rustled in her jacket pocket for a few sickles and handed them to the plump man overseeing the fountain.

Freddie shook his head as she leaned in toward the fountain and tried to get the quill to fall under the ribbons of chocolate that were now levitating in the air in the shape of a cat. Her reach was falling just shy of the stream of chocolate. She glanced over her shoulder at Freddie, "Can you just hold onto me so I can lead forward a bit more?" Without looking, she reached her free hand back toward him. Again, nobody was aware of the warm flush in Freddie's cheeks as he reached for his friend's hand and held on. She leaned forward, her tongue pressed to her lips in concentration as she balanced on one foot and let the other off the ground to extend her arm just a few more inches. The hard cherry quill was coated instantly. She grinned and quickly stood properly again, letting go of Freddie's hand with ease.

The chocolate hardened on the quill quickly and she laughed like a child as she nibbled at the end of the quill, biting off bits of chocolate and hard cherry candy.

"Well? How is your horrendous concoction?" Freddie asked with an arched dark brow.

"Not bad actually," She concluded as she sucked on the chocolatey quill absently. Freddie smiled until he became acutely aware of how close they were standing in the small packed shop. She looked away without noticing this herself and let her eyes dance around the room, "I don't see them anywhere. Do you?"

"No, and they would stand out too."

"Yeah, Cletus may as well be a metamorphmagus at the rate his hair colors change," Lyra commented dryly before turning back to Freddie, "Anyhow, on to the next then?"

"Yeah, sure," He said quickly before turning away and holding the front door open for her. She was halfway through it before she recalled, "Wait, weren't you going to buy your sister some sweets?"

"Oh, you're right. Totally blanked. You wanna wait here while I go grab something quick or do you need even more sugar?"

"I'm good," She assured as she continued sucking at the odd candy.

He popped back in and made a beeline for the candy dispensary. He filled a bag with a mix of ice mice and pepper imps. He knew his little sister would be comforted by these. She had gotten in a bad fight with their cousin Maddie on the Quidditch pitch during their last practice. Maddie was the newest member of the team, having only joined last year, and was driving Rox up a wall. She acted as if she knew the sport better than any other, despite being new to proper game rules. Ginny had raised Maddie with Quidditch from day one, and while Maddie was incredible on a broomstick, she had a tendency to be headstrong and ignore rules that had cost them games last year.

Despite this, she was still being incredibly stubborn. It had all magnified into a screaming match in the changing room after practice between the two cousins, with Maddie hurling personal attacks at Roxanne's abilities. Rox had taken to hiding in the library, not wanting to be in the same common room as Maddie. The two were thoroughly ignoring each other, much to the frustration of the captain. Freddie hoped that the candy, and telling their dad about what had happened, would help. He usually wasn't fond of ratting out his sister, he usually had her back, but he knew that this fight between his family couldn't keep up much longer.

After acquiring sweets for his sister, Freddie and Lyra headed up the road.

"I think we should check your dad's shop," Lyra suggested gently, "The only other place they might be is the Three Broomsticks and that will take awhile to scour through the crowd."

Freddie sighed, "Yeah, okay. Hopefully I'll be able to distract him long enough to not ask me to take some of his experiments back to Hogwarts."

"Gonna talk to him about Rox and Mad?" Lyra asked under her breath as they approached the insanely bright purple building.

"How'd you know about that?" Freddie whispered, privately wondering if Lyra was secretly a legilimens.

"Slytherin's team had practice after theirs. Cletus said he could hear them screaming from the men's changing room next door. They apparently refused to leave until a prefect was called and threatened to take a hundred points each," Lyra explained. "When you mentioned she wasn't feeling good, I figured it out."

"You're more clever than I gave you credit for," Freddie admitted as they headed into the exceedingly familiar shop.

"You mean I'm cleverer. More clever is technically incorrect, but it works either way," Lyra couldn't help herself from adding.

Freddie rolled his eyes but smiled. The two weaved their way through a number of shelves until they found the storage room door. The drab gray door was hardly noticeable beside rows and rows of bright, shiny, explosive toys and gags. He knocked once at the top of the door, once in the middle, and three by the handle.

The door flung open and a tall, thin red headed man burst forward and wrapped his arms tight around Freddie, "There's my little boy! Oh I wondered when you would finally come to see daddy dearest! You've never waited this long after the year starts to visit me!" He enthused so dramatically that Lyra burst into a fit of laughter. George still held his son close, rocking him back and forth, when he glanced up at Lyra, "Oh and you brought your girlfriend!"

"DAD," Freddie shouted, finally having enough as he pulled away. "We need to talk."

"Oh you didn't knock her up did you?" George teased mercilessly. Lyra snorted with a laugh while Freddie turned visibly red, this time in sheer anger.

"No, dad, it's Rox!" Freddie hissed irritably.

While Freddie's face was more flushed than ever, George's drained of all color. His eyes darted around them, as if trying to search her out of the crowd. When he realized she wasn't there his heart began to race, "What's happened?"

Freddie faltered, confused at this father's fearful expression, "Nothing serious dad, she's just been fighting with Maddie and it's causing problems. What did you think it was?"

George soured, "Frederick, you know how it is."

Freddie bowed his head to the floor. His dad was unbearably paranoid about the safety of his family. Usually, Freddie couldn't forget this point if he wanted to. It first happened when he was four years old and had wandered out of the Burrow to go and chase gnomes. He had been hiding behind a bush, staring down a gnome hole and waiting for one to pop up, when he had heard his father's voice come from the direction of the Burrow. He sounded positively hysterical, his voice a pitch he had never heard before. When he found him, he had held Freddie so tight to his chest that he could barely breathe. He had been trying to shake the fact that he was named after a dead uncle his whole life, and yet somehow he had forgotten that this paranoia did not apply only to him. It had nothing to do with Freddie and everything to do with Fred. Ever since the war, George had been insufferably anxious about his family. By the time Freddie was in primary school he had toned down, thanks to his mother, to a reasonable degree of worry. It was only in instances like this, when someone had urgent news, that he grew worried.

George turned and opened the door to his office, gesturing for them to come in. Lyra plopped down, right at home, in a large purple couch in the corner.

"Don't go taking a nap Lyra," George admonished lightly as he sat at his desk. Rather than sitting on the couch beside Lyra, Freddie leaned against his dad's desk.

"I'm sorry," He murmured so quietly that Lyra didn't even hear him.

"It's okay, I'm sorry for snapping at you," George sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "What happened with your sister and Maddie?"

"Well, as far as I understand it, Maddie insulted her in the changing room and they were screaming at each other. I don't know what was said, but I can't imagine it was anything kind."

"Not likely," George murmured, rubbing his chin in thought. "When was this?"

"Last week."

"And since then?"

"They haven't spoken to each other at all. Rox stays hidden in the library if she can help it. The rest of the team has tried to get them to reconcile, they refuse. She won't listen to me either. I thought maybe you could try and talk to her, maybe get aunt Gin to talk to Maddie too?"

George sighed, "Yeah, I'll go and talk to Ginny. See what she thinks."

"Thanks dad," Freddie said as he started to head for the door.

"Hey, wait a second," George said as he stood.

Freddie hesitated, worried he was about to be handed some dangerous new contraption his father was trying to test out. Instead, his father embraced him in a more meaningful hug than the one from earlier. George murmured so only he could hear, "I love you. Good luck with her. You've got this."

Freddie smiled as he let go of his dad, "Thanks dad, love you too."

He and Lyra made their way quietly to the Three Broomsticks. As they entered the packed pub Lyra sighed and turned to Freddie, "So its four o'clock. If they were here we would have seen them by now. So do you wanna just hang out awhile?"

"Sure," Freddie said as casually as he could so nobody could tell his stomach was broiling. They waited patiently for a booth to open up before slipping in and ordering a couple butterbeers. When the bartender delivered their frothing mugs, Freddie leaned forward and waved off Lyra's reaching for her pocket of change. He dropped a few gallons on the table. The bartender took the coins and vanished as Freddie held out his glass, "Cheers."

Lyra held hers up but didn't tap the glasses together, "What are we cheering too?"

"Nerve. Y'know, the nerve to tell my dad about Rox already."

Lyra made a curious expression but toasted him nonetheless before they each took respective drinks. She did not object to his payment, but she couldn't fathom why he would do it. Furthermore, his toast seemed odd. She hadn't thought talking to his dad had necessitated nerve. But rather than thinking too deeply about this, she carried on. The old friends chatted merrily for some time in their booth, even needing to order seconds. When they left the Three Broomsticks they were startled to find the sun was already sinking toward the horizon. She glanced at her watch and laughed, "How were we in there for two hours straight without noticing?"

"It's been awhile since we caught up properly," He reasoned. He started walking and she followed him without question, walking alongside him back toward the castle. "So how do you think you're going to do on those exams?" He asked.

"Lily is worried I'm going to get a T on everything with all of my supposed slacking. I think I'll be fine. I'll probably get a rough grade on history, but that's on Mr. Binns for being boring as hell."

He laughed, "Yeah, that is kind of his fault. I did rotten on history too, if it's any consolation."

"It is. NEWT level classes aren't the worst then?"

"Nah," Freddie reassured her, "Yeah it's harder, but most of the time it's more of the kind of magic you're interested in. For what it's worth, I know you'll do well on your OWLs. You're brilliant, so it'll be a breeze for you."

Lyra normally would have laughed and cracked a joke to him, but instead she looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was acting odd. She didn't say anything about it as they made their way over toward the Black Lake of all places.

"What are we doing here?" Lyra asked.

"I dunno, I wasn't really thinking of where I was going."

"Of course. Well, might as well enjoy the view." She turned and sat on the edge of the shore, staring out at the lake. The sun was setting and creating a mural of beautiful colors all across the water. It was like the world's largest kaleidoscope.

Freddie sat down beside her, thinking of why he had truly walked here with her. It seemed the only place they could be left in relative peace. He knew he had to do this now, while nobody else was around, or he would lose all nerve. His insides seemed to inflate to fill his entire chest cavity, fit to burst. He took a deep breath as they both continued to gaze out at the sunset, steeling his resolve.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

She cackled, "Freddie, we were babies when we first met!"

"Yeah, but haven't you been told the story?"

"No? Why, have you?"

"Yeah, loads of times because apparently it was hilarious."

"Oh, yeah? What happened?"

"Mum and dad said it was at my first birthday party, so you were super small. But they put you near me and you yanked on my hair. You also did the same thing to Dominique and made her cry. But I didn't cry, I just laughed and pulled your hand out of my hair."

"So we've been messing with each other since before I could speak?"

"Basically."

Lyra grinned, "That's really adorable, but where were you going with this?"

"You've made me laugh and smile since we were babies, Ly," He started, "Holidays and family gatherings just aren't as fun when you're not there. Lyra, saying this alone is killing me but I have to say it or it'll just drive me insane. I think I'm in love you. Not like a brother or any other family member would, but the kind of love that keeps you up at night and makes you anxious as hell. I don't want to lose you. If I'm freaking you out, tell me now and I'll shut up forever. Even if we can't be together the way I like, I'll gladly keep a friendship with you. But if there is any way that you think you could be with me romantically…" He trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence, "You would make me the happiest man in the country." He stopped talking, desperate to know her response.

The two sat, staring at each other, as the sun left only a whisper of light on the horizon. Lyra was letting it sink in, her eyes darting across his face to analyze every expression. He was so visibly terrified. She had seen the expression so rarely on him. He usually was so resilient and strong. She had never once considered him romantically. He seemed so outside of that realm to her. She just hadn't had any problems with having male friends, never had considered dating them instead of just being friends.

Her mind was working far faster than it usually did, which was hardly believable given that it already operated at a quick rate. She considered the difference between their friendship and a romantic relationship. The only plausible difference she could think of would be a physical intimacy. Surely there was likely to be slightly more emotional intimacy, but the primary change would be physical. She tuned into her body and considered whether or not she could be physically attracted to Freddie. The thought did not repulse her, nor did it intrigue her. She couldn't figure it out.

In all, her silent consideration lasted for two minutes. Freddie was panicking internally the entire time. He was strongly resisting the urge to say anything. He could see the cogs whirring rapidly in her head. He had to give her time to think, he knew that.

She decided there was only one way to figure it out. Lyra took him by surprise by leaning forward and kissing him. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned into it. He kissed her back gently, resting his hand loosely against the back of her neck, his fingers lacing through her hair. It seemed to last an eternity, but it was only a few seconds before Lyra slowly pulled away. She kept her face close to his and their eyes examined one another intently.

A moment of intensity was apparently all they could handle. It started with Freddie's nose twitching ever so slightly, then Lyra's lips curled up, and before they knew it they were trapped in a fit of laughter. They were prone to spending a majority of their time laughing together, but this was a rare instance of what they called a laugh attack. The two old friends fell back against the grassy shore, openly crying with laughter. Every time they would happen to look at one another they would just laugh more, attempting to poke fun at the ridiculous look on the other's face. When they managed to calm down enough to speak coherently between laughs, Lyra informed him, "Well, you're a much better kisser than Adam Frost was. I thought maybe all Gryffindors were awful at it."

After they had laughed sufficiently about this Freddie returned the apparent compliment, "I may just be the exception, Destiny is awful too."

"You didn't! You kissed her?"

"I did, and it was awful."

"Well, I guess only the _good_ Gryffindors are decent kisses. I have to assume my dads wouldn't still be married if dad was a bad kisser," Lyra said, "More importantly, when did this accursed kiss happen with Destiny?"

"Last year after we won our first Quidditch match. The whole common room was in full party mode and Destiny suggested we play some Muggle game called spin the bottle. Do you know it?"

Lyra snorted with laughter and nodded. Freddie found it unbearably cute that she did this "Yeah, it was pretty awful."

Lyra continued to tease and laugh at him. Finally, their laughter eased down to nothing more than merry smiles. They laid beside each other, keeping close so as to better see each other in the growing dark. Freddie reached forward and pushed some hair gently off her neck. She felt a shiver go down her spine as his fingertips brushed the sensitive skin.

"So what will it be Ly? Will you be my girlfriend?" He murmured gently.

She nodded slowly before leaning in to kiss him again. She couldn't believe it was happening. This had hardly been how she expected this day to go. She vaguely wondered how this would change the course and shape of the school year, but decided not to dwell on it long. After a few more moments Lyra forced herself to remove herself from him and looked about them, "We need to get back in, it's too late for us to be out of the castle."

"But if we head in now we'll get caught and get in trouble. We'll lose both of our houses points."

"Follow me, we won't get in trouble. I know a secret passage we can take. It lets out on the first floor so be careful heading up to your common room, but you should be okay," Lyra said plainly as she stood and took his hand in hers, guiding him forward.


	23. Terror

January 1st, 2022

Harry glanced across the room again at his daughter who was resting her head against her boyfriend's chest on the couch. Draco squeezed the hand he had already been holding. Draco silently reminded Harry to not be so worried. Harry sighed and returned to reading his book. Draco had never bothered to look up from his own. While Harry was persistently anxious about Lyra being in a relationship, nobody else seemed bothered. Draco was happy for them, as was the entire Weasley clan who had rejoiced magnificently when they discovered the news at Christmas. Harry was worried that, at barely sixteen, she was going to make the same mistakes he had made. Draco had to remind him on numerous occasions that the chances were slim to none that their daughter's relationship would even remotely resemble theirs.

"First of all," Draco had pointed out during a late night argument, "They're already dating each other. If they choose to have sex it will, ideally, be out of a mutual love for one another and have nothing to do with revenge like it did for us. They've also known each other their whole lives and have always liked each other."

Harry eventually confessed he was just terrified of his daughter growing up. She had just been a baby in his arms, now she was falling in love. He hated it, but he knew he couldn't stop it.

The lovers were utterly ignorant to these concerns as Harry had been smart enough to keep it to himself. The two kept on snuggling closely on the couch, discussing all kinds of silly little things. Her twin, meanwhile, was lying on her stomach on the floor reading a book she had borrowed from Draco's shelves. The boys were sitting at a small table across the room, playing a game of wizards chess intently. Caelum was kicking James' ass. James didn't mind.

The whole family had tuckered themselves out after a long holiday season. The Burrow had been overflowing as usual. The Weasleys were relieved when Maddie and Rox had finally made up and hugged it out. The general atmosphere from then on had been incredibly pleasant among the ginger clan. Draco and Harry, meanwhile, found themselves invited to a sort of Dumbledore's Army Christmas party that they enjoyed immensely. It had been splendid to catch up with the Finnigans, Longbottoms, and Scamanders. Aside from Neville and Hannah, he hadn't seen most of them in several years.

Their winter holiday only winded down when they took a trip to Malfoy Manor with the kids. For the first time in years, Malfoy Manor had a holiday warmth. The grandkids had been spoiled, as they always were, by their wealthy grandparents. But the presents amounted to nothing next to the joy felt over spending time with their family. Lily and Lyra spent a great deal of time chattering with Lucius. He was utterly unfamiliar with who Freddie was, but congratulated his granddaughter nonetheless. He praised her for her numerous accounts of how she had carefully escaped trouble at school. Lily looked on disapprovingly, but Lucius commended her for setting a good example as a prefect. Lucius loved both of the twins for being who they were. Lyra was mischievous and mirthful, Lily was responsible and good hearted. Whenever he praised one, he likewise would praise the other for the opposite behavior.

He couldn't resist passing on some cliche advice on romance toward the eldest twin, and gently implied to Lily that she should wait to find love because of her sensitive disposition. Lily had bristled at this. She was a bit resentful that her sister had fallen in love so easily, that she had always had more experience than Lily. She wanted to be loved like her sister, like her fathers loved each other. She hinted at this indirectly to Lucius while the family had been attending to a tin of treacle tart being passed around the room. Lucius had wrapped an arm around his granddaughter, "Lily, you will find love when the right person is ready for you. Maybe you already know them, maybe you'll meet them at forty. You deserve nothing short of true love, my dear. You are such a wonderful person, even if you don't know it yet. Be patient and the right love will find you in the end." Lily had been comforted by this and hugged her grandfather close.

James and Caelum had yet to have dear heart to hearts with their grandfather. Lucius watched them fondly though, looking forward to the day where he could tell them stories and pass on wisdom to them. In due time, he reasoned, in due time.

The week following Christmas was far quieter. The Potter-Malfoys stayed at home the entire time, quietly relaxing in each other's company. That's not to say they were without their typical spats and feuds. Lily and Lyra fought over a bottle of Sleekeazy's that Lyra had "borrowed" from her sister. Several fights were had over the one bathroom, namely involving the boys screaming at the girls through the door that they had to pee. Impromptu Quidditch games in the backyard with makeshift rules had resulted in a number of disagreements that Harry and Draco had had to settle, despite their insistence that they would not referee their games. By New Year's Eve the family had calmed down from their feuds and Freddie had come over to celebrate with their family, eager to share a kiss at midnight with his girlfriend.

Harry and Draco agreed to let him stay over night, but insisted he sleep on the couch in the living room and set up enchantments around Lyra's door. As much as Draco was okay with their relationship, he was not going to let his daughter fool around with her boyfriend while they were in the same house. Unsurprisingly, after everyone had settled for bed around one a.m., Harry and Draco were startled awake by a screeching sound down the hall. Lyra had exploded at them for setting up the alarm, but eventually ended the conversation by slamming her bedroom door in their faces, turning off the alarm. They ignored it as she continued to scream in her bedroom, at Lily, about how unreasonable their fathers were being.

To make amends the following morning, Draco had woken up before everyone else (at nine a.m.) to make homemade hot chocolate. He woke everyone in the house to a piping mug of warm sugary goodness. Lyra initially resisted, but when Draco apologized for not trusting her she forgave and apologized herself before accepting the treat. Now the family finally had an opportunity to actually get along and enjoy each other's company in relative peace and quiet. This was only added to by the gentle snow falling outside and the beautiful Christmas lights still hanging about the house. It felt like a perfect day.

That is, until it was all utterly ruined.

In the middle of the calm, a bright silver light burst through the living room window. A silver otter appeared on the floor not a foot away from where Lily was lying. The otter's voice was almost unrecognizable at first because of the tone of fear and the sheer volume of it, but Harry knew it was Hermione: "Lucius has been murdered. Lestrange and Fenrir on the loose. Barricade yourselves IMMEDIATELY."


	24. Survival

Jan 1st, 2020

"Lucius has been murdered. Lestrange and Fenrir on the loose. Barricade yourselves IMMEDIATELY."

Hermione's voice echoed in Draco's ears. He remained perfectly still, not hearing his husband as he stood quickly and directed the children. Freddie was sent home immediately. Harry ignored the protests of his children and shuffled them all into the closet under the stairs. He would have preferred a basement, but they didn't have one. The closet was rather large, however, given that it had an expansion charm on it. Lyra resisted strongly, "No, let us out! We can protect ourselves!"

" _Quiet!_ " Harry snapped, "It is not the time. We're going to do our best out here but if the worst should happen, then you can use your magic. Protect each other. Do as I say." The kids had never heard him sound so strict. Lyra's stubbornness, for the first time, was sobered. She nodded and agreed before Harry shut them in and locked it magically.

"Draco, get up," was the first thing Draco heard. "We need to be ready. Come on."

Draco slowly stood. Harry reached out and pulled the wand from his husband's pocket and forced it into Draco's hand, "They might be coming for us, for our kids. We need to protect them."

Draco caught his eyes and finally was able to function. He couldn't think about his dead father right then, he needed to worry about the living right now. Seeing the resolve in his eyes, Harry finally trusted he could follow instructions, "Take the front, I'll take the back. Standard protective charms. Meet me at the front when you're done. They're not likely to try to break through the backyard. We're stronger together than separate."

With a resolute nod the two divided and conquered as they cast spells all over their property. It alarmed Harry at how easily he was able to remember the protective enchantments he and his friends had had to use to protect themselves against Voldemort over twenty years ago. He watched as the air shimmered with the force of the magic spreading above their home. When he was certain that he had done everything he could, he returned to the front gate with Draco. They stood side by side for a moment, wands at the ready.

After a moment Harry finally murmured, "I'm so sorry."

"What if it isn't true?"

"Hermione wouldn't lie. She works for the Ministry. If she says so, it's probably true."

"I just want her to be wrong, just this once."

"I know."

"We just saw him a few days ago."

"I don't know how they could have escaped. Kingsley's new enforcements had been perfectly effective since the war ended."

"Didn't they have Greyback under tighter restrictions than the other prisoners?"

"That's what I heard. I'm sure whatever aurors are sent out after him will catch him."

Draco didn't reply immediately. He ruminated for a few minutes before saying,"They must have killed him for betraying the Death Eaters in the war. My uncle would have been after him to avenge my aunt's death. They'll be after me now. Merlin, if mum is dead too…"

"She didn't say anything about Narcissa. If something had happened to her we would know by now. Your mother is an incredible witch. I expect she evaded them somehow."

"You're right. We would know by now."

"Draco?"

"Hm?"

"We got this, don't worry."

"I'm not worried with you by my side, Harry."

…

Lyra paced the large room under their staircase. Caelum was sitting along the far wall with James who was trying to keep him calm. Lyra fiddled with her wand.

"Don't do anything stupid with that," Lily reminded her sister, leaning against the wall by the door, "You'll get expelled if it's for anything less than a genuine attack."

"I'm just thinking of the best spells."

"And what, pray tell, did you think of?"

" _Expelliarmus_ is practical, but only so much. _Stupefy_ or _petrificus totalus_ could buy us time to run away. _Diffindo_ or _confringo_ would be good for offense."

"You've just been itching to play hero haven't you? Well you're not dad. There is no great threat to our world that only you can stop. We aren't going to have to fight to save the world we know like they did. We aren't special," Lily snapped bitterly. It was a rare instance where she was displaying anger toward her sister. Fight though they may, it was usually Lyra screaming while Lily cried. It had always been that way. But in such dire circumstances, Lily felt changed.

Lyra was turning red with rage, but for once in her life she kept quiet.

James disrupted the silence unexpectedly, "Our dads weren't on the same side during the war. Dad and grandpa were death eaters. Why do you think these death eaters escaped Azkaban to kill him?"

Lily stared at him blankly, Lyra looked anxious.

"It was on a chocolate frog card. He never wanted us to know what they were. I found some old copies of the _Daily Prophet_ from after the war that confirm it. Our family were the only death eaters that were never imprisoned. They were pardoned for not fighting in the war, but they didn't fight for the good side either."

"That can't be true!" Lily shouted, her eyes watering in anger. "Daddy wouldn't lie to us! Grandpa wouldn't lie to us! The papers were corrupted back then, right? They're the liars."

Lyra glanced at her sister, her own anger suddenly dissipated. She frowned sympathetically and reached out toward her sister, her hand grazing her shoulder, "Lil, it's true. I've known for awhile. It's kind of hard to be in Slytherin and not know the stories. Grandpa did all kinds of awful things. He was an early supporter of Voldemort and he helped to open the Chamber of Secrets. The Malfoy and Black families are filled with dark Slytherins who did awful things. "

Her twin glared at her but didn't speak, afraid of her voice cracking with emotion.

"But you know what? They did good things too. Grandpa came around, he changed. Daddy changed too. Grandma was the one that lied to Voldemort and said that dad was dead when he wasn't. Our great-aunt Andromeda? She's a badass witch just like her daughter Nymphadora was. Dad's godfather Sirius? He was from the Black family and he was a really brave man. Lily, people can't be so easily divided between good and bad. Everyone has a little bit of both. Do you know what I mean?"

Lily hesitated a moment before nodding. Lyra moved toward her sister and hugged her close. They rarely touched one another, but Lyra knew that her sister needed comfort. Lily leaned into her sister and without intending to, began to cry into her shoulder.

Lyra let her cry it out, comforting her while keeping an eye on the door just in case. She couldn't help but worry they would be attacked while their guard was down. After a few minutes, Lily pulled away from her sister.

"I just can't believe he's gone."

"I know," Lyra said with a depth of feeling that was rarely heard in her, "But we'll be okay. People lose their grandparents all the time."

"Not that young, Ly. Most wizard grandparents live well into their hundreds. Molly and Arthur are still around, and they will be for awhile I bet."

"I'm trying to be optimistic here," Lyra sighed, "But I guess now isn't the time."

"You think?" Lily quipped before quietly apologizing.

Several minutes of silence passed between the siblings. Lyra began pacing in front of the door again, still thinking of enchantments she could use if a crisis should occur. Lily slid down the wall to the floor, her arms coiled tightly around her knees as she held back wracking sobs. Caelum looked just as shell shocked as his sister, but remained quiet as he sat beside his stony faced brother. James was disheartened to hear of their grandfather's death, but could not bring himself to be sad just yet. Like his eldest sister, he felt he couldn't remotely let his guard down until they were out of that room. Eventually, Caelum began to slump over onto his brother's arm, his eyes no longer blinking back tears but blinking away sleep. It had been mid-afternoon when Hermione's patronus had bombarded their living room, but sitting around in a dimly lit, quiet room after a great deal of emotional duress was not conducive to alertness. James gently coaxed Caelum to lie down, bundling an old coat that hung up on the wall into a pillow and draping a large wool poncho over him like a blanket. Caelum was out cold in a few minutes.

James stood and joined his sister at the door, "Don't happen to have a watch do you?"

"Shit, I do. I dunno why I didn't think of it sooner," She realized as she pulled at her sleeve and glanced down at the plastic Lion King watch, "Merlin, it's already 6:00. When are we going to get an all clear? Should we go out and check?"

"No," Lily piped up as she suddenly stood, seeming far more composed, "That's dangerous. What if they're prowling around out there?"

"I think if they were out there they would have found us by now," James pointed out. "Not like we were trying to be quiet and it's not like this room has a silencing charm on it."

"He has a point."

"Okay, besides that," Lily said irritably, "We're locked in."

"Are we?" Lyra asked as she reached out and moved the manual lock on the door. The bolt in the door clicked open. Lyra reached for the handle but her sister stopped her.

"Lyra, don't! Dads will be pissed if we sneak out," Lily hissed.

"They've left us in here for hours now, they should have told us if something happened!"

"What if they're dueling with those death eaters right now?"

Lyra sighed, "If they were, wouldn't we be able to hear them?"

"Not if they're outside," Lily urged. "Please, just one more hour. We wait one more hour and then we can sneak out and see what's going on."

James turned to Lyra, "She's got a fair point. One more hour won't kill us."

"That you know of," Lyra grumbled. Nonetheless, she relented and backed away from the door. Lily clicked the lock shut again.

…

Draco and Harry had been standing in relative silence for quite a long stretch now. Neither of them truly knew how long it had been, nor did they want to know. They had agreed to stand guard until they received word that everything was fine. After a few hours of uncomfortably standing around, word finally appeared in the form of a familiar ginger stepping up to their gate.

Ron's dark eyes flickered about the yard, seeing nothing but grass. Even the house itself, to his eyes, had vanished.

"He can't see from the enchantments," Draco reminded Harry.

"It could be one of them using polyjuice potion," Harry added. "I'll go and check."

Harry strided toward the front gate of their home and carefully opened it. Ron watched as the gate seemed to open itself and was unsurprised when Harry Potter walked out of the seemingly empty yard, wand held aloft. Ron slipped a small lighter from his pocket and in a quick motion all of the street lights went out. Harry wanted to trust that if he had the deluminator it must have been the real Ron, but he couldn't allow himself to be so hopeful.

Ron held his hands up, holding nothing but the deluminator.

"What attacked you in the Department of Mysteries your fifth year?" Harry asked after a pause to think of a question that could not be answered by a browse through a library.

"Some weird brains in tanks with strange tentacles," Ron answered.

"One more, just to be safe," Harry added, "What did you see in Slytherin's locket?"

Ron sighed, "You and my wife. Now, your turn. Where did Severus Snape die?"

"The Shrieking Shack."

"Who betrayed Dumbledore's Army?"

"Marietta Edgecombe," Harry replied. Both assured they were who they appeared to be, their muscles visibly relaxed. Harry magically allowed Ron entrance, and lead him in through the gate. Once safely on the other side of the magical barriers, Ron explained his appearance.

"Hermione is dealing with things at the ministry, or she would have come herself. She asked me to come to you in her place."

"Why is Hermione involved with this? Why did she send the warning?"

"Well Greyback's a werewolf, isn't he? She oversees the department that handles all magic entities, including werewolves. Anyway, the good news is, they were captured. Lestrange has already been sentenced to the Kiss. Hermione's meeting with the head of Magical Law Enforcement as well as the president of the Society of Werewolf Wellbeing to discuss what to do with Greyback."

"So it's true?" Draco inquired nervously.

Ron frowned, "Yeah. It's true. Your mum was the one that contacted the Ministry. When the aurors arrived the death eaters had already left, but your dad is — there was just no way to save him. Your mum tried everything, but she couldn't help him. I'm so sorry Draco."

Draco's face paled more than usual and he turned away, pacing the yard.

Ron watched him anxiously but Harry murmured, "He'll need his space. Do we know why they came after him, what their motives were?"

Ron nodded, "They were interrogated and it's pretty clear they wanted revenge for Lucius avoiding Azkaban and Bellatrix dying in the war. They got into the Manor easily, I guess it didn't have protection charms anymore. Rodolphus tried attacking Narcissa, but she duelled him. While they were in combat, Fenrir went after Lucius. He tried to put up a fight, but he didn't stand a chance. Narcissa told the aurors she tried to help him, but Rodolphus kept blocking her path. She did manage to cast a patronus to the ministry while battling him, but once he realized she had he vanished. Fenrir disappeared a moment later before Narcissa reached him. After that, Fenrir and Lestrange were spotted in St. Mungo's, torturing random workers to figure out where you lived. Aurors caught up to them just as they were headed this way."

Harry sighed with relief. No doubt if the death eaters had indeed shown up they would have been eager to destroy the family. Fenrir, in particular, would have delighted in murdering their children. Harry may have been prolific in duelling in his youth, by force rather than by choice, but he wasn't so sure if he and Draco could have held the two ravenous death eaters at bay for very long. After he took a moment to just soak in how close his family had come to being destroyed, Harry finally asked Ron what had been bothering him this whole time, "How did they escape anyway?"

Ron shrugged and shook his head, "We aren't sure yet. Hermione suspects that Fenrir persuaded a guard to unshackle him and then used brute force to break out of the cell, grabbing Lestrange on the way. Of course, the Ministry is going to face backlash for having removed the dementors as the guards from the prison. They've been trying to argue their decision since they made it, and unfortunately this won't help matters."

"No shit," Harry sighed, "Well, thank you for letting us know what's going on, Ron. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, Harry, anything for family."

Harry smiled, "Right. Speaking of which, though, you should be getting back to yours. Are Rose and Hugo doing okay?"

"Yeah, they were just worried about you lot, and 'Mione. But you're right, I should get back to them. Let me know if you guys need anything though, okay?" He added with a glance toward Draco, who was now idling by the far end of the fence.

"I will, thanks," Harry reassured his friend before letting him back out of the enchantments. Ron flicked the deluminator again before nodding toward Harry and disapparating into the night.

Harry returned to the yard and walked over to his husband. He put his arm around his shoulders and gently navigated him toward the front door, "Come on, love. We're safe now."

Draco nodded slowly as Harry lead them into the house. Harry gently nudged Draco down into his recliner in the living room, "There you go, you're alright."

The closet door burst open before Harry even had the chance to move toward it. Draco and Harry both instinctively pointed their wands but were generally unsurprised to find their dark haired daughter pointing her wand back at them. Draco sighed and put his wand down on the table beside his chair, leaning back in his chair and shutting his eyes.

Harry lowered his wand and walked over to Lyra, "Was that necessary? I was just about to tell you the coast was clear."

"I heard noise, I thought it might be the death eaters."

"No, Ly. Death eaters aren't usually so foolish as to announce their entrance," Harry spoke calmly as his three other children came out from the closet below the stairs. James and Caelum sat on the couch quietly.

Lily, however, marched to Lyra's side but looked up at Harry, "I told her to calm down. She hasn't put her wand away this whole time. She fancies herself a hero."

"Would you stop saying that?" Lyra screamed, turning to her sister. "I'm trying to protect our family!"

"From who? Our dads?"

" _Silencio_ ," Harry sighed with the flick of his wand toward both daughters.

Harry put a hand on each of their shoulders and pushed them away from each other slightly, "That's enough. Lily, thank you for keeping your sister from being rash but accusations are not helping anybody right now. Lyra, I know you just wanted to help but your sister is also right, you didn't need to jump at the slightest provocation. Part of protecting your family is knowing when to act and when to stay still. Now, I'm going to remove the charm and you're both going to forgive each other and let this go. Understood?"

The girls relaxed and nodded slowly. Harry lifted the spell and the girls stood stock still, arms crossed, mouths unmoving. Harry waited patiently as he pocketed his wand. Finally, Lily relaxed her shoulders and held her hand out, "Truce?"

Lyra glanced at her hand before sighing and shaking it, "Truce."

Harry smiled approvingly before moving to the kitchen. He was hardly any good at cooking but his family was due to be starving any minute now. As he moved about the kitchen he was unsurprised to find a daughter sitting at the island barstool. Lily watched her dad prepare dinner for a moment before finally asking, "So is it true? Is … is he really…?"

Harry let out a breath he had been holding and looked up at her. He nodded.

Lily's anxious expression shifted to one of resolute sorrow. Harry went to offer her some comfort, but before he could so much as move more than a step she got up and ran out of the room. He sighed and shook his head to himself. He hoped that Lyra would pull through and support her sister. They were usually at each other's throats, but when things truly mattered they usually set their animosity beside and loved one another.

Harry finished making the mediocre meal and brought it out into the living room, defying the usual family tradition of sitting at the dinner table. James and Caelum accepted the warm food graciously. Draco only absently registered he was being handed anything and didn't seem capable of eating. Lily and Lyra were no longer in the living room. Harry drifted up the stairs. Their bedroom door was cracked open. He glanced in silently and saw Lily and Lyra hugging tightly, both of them shaking and letting out slight gasps of air, evidently sobbing. Harry knelt and left the bowls of food in front of the door, enchanting them to stay warm before heading back downstairs.

After the family had eaten, Harry decided that despite the relatively early hour, the whole family deserved a long night's rest. After the kids fell asleep, Harry approached Draco's chair. Draco had been zoning out all night, though he had eventually been coaxed to eat.

"Draco."

He did not respond.

"Draco," Harry repeated a bit louder.

Draco's brows twitched slightly.

"You can't dissolve like this. Your family needs you, your hospital will need you. You cannot let this consume you."

"You don't know what it's like," Draco mumbled, barely moving his lips.

Harry didn't skip a beat, "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that."

"But you don't," Draco spoke at a normal volume again, his eyes finally moving to look into his husband's, "You don't remember your parents. You didn't lose them after having spent your whole life with them."

"Draco," Harry started with an impatient tone, "I watched my godfather die. I know what this pain feels like, possibly more than you can imagine. Lupin, Tonks, Fred, Dobby, Moody, Hedwig, Dumbledore — Draco, they may not have been family but I loved them like they were and I had to cope with all of them dying. One by one. Nothing makes it better. Nothing will make this pain lessen except time. You have to believe me. I have been through this more times than anyone should. You are going to get through this, I promise you. All you can do is appreciate that we didn't lose our kids today, that you didn't lose your mum, that you didn't lose me."

Draco quickly felt remorse for his unfeeling words. He should have known better than to say something so ignorant to his husband. He apologized before standing and wrapping his arms around Harry. They remained quiet, just holding onto one another. Harry gently rubbed between Draco's shoulder blades, "I've got you. You'll be okay. C'mon, let's get to bed." He pulled away and took his husband's hand and lead him upstairs.


	25. Wilting

February 14th, 2022

Lily stepped into Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop on Valentine's Day after classes. She did her best to ignore the couples that were cuddled together throughout the shop in various states. Some were staring a little too longingly at each other, some were snogging as if they needed it to breathe, and still others sat awkwardly fiddling with tea cups. Lily navigated toward the back of the shop to a small table for two and was greeted by a waving figure.

"Oh good, you found me!" Rose said delightfully as Lily took her seat across from her.

"Of course, you're the only person here not on an awkward date," Lily quipped.

Rose laughed, "Too true. I would hate coming on a date here, wouldn't you?"

Lily glanced around at the shop. It was rather nauseating with its overabundance of pink, lace doilies, and hearts adorning nearly every surface. Several enchanted cherub figurines floated around the room, shooting aromatic arrows at unsuspecting students. A small witch greeted them and took their orders for tea, grinning a bit too much for Lily's liking.

"Yeah," Lily finally conceded, "This would be the worst dating spot ever. I don't think any girl in her right mind would enjoy it here. It's just too much."

Rose nodded, "Only girls like Destiny would appreciate it, and so she does." Her eyes glanced across the room to her housemate who was already in the lap of her boyfriend Xavier in a booth. Rose rolled her eyes, "Disgusting. Those two really have to stop going at it like rabbits."

Lily snickered, "Maybe they're happy? She's bothered to stay with him for this long."

"I suspect that's more to do with scaring every other poor boy in the school off than actually having any interest in him. If she ended things she'd have nobody left to shag and snog."

Lily laughed as their tea arrived, floating down through the air on little heart shaped puffs of pink smoke. Her smile vanished and she shook her head as the smoke dissipated. She waved her hand through the fumes in irritation before picking up the fine china. "It is a bit much," She sighed. "So what's up?"

"Well, given that Lyra is off being cute with Freddie I imagined you wouldn't want to be alone. That and I wanted to see how you're doing."

Lily glanced up at her cousin-in-name-only suspiciously, "You want to know if I'm still depressed over my grandfather's murder."

Rose's nose turned red and she glanced down at her tea without saying anything.

"It's alright, you're just concerned," Lily said, "I'm — I'm doing okay. It took a little while for the reality to sink in. It still really hurts to remember that I'll never see him again. That's honestly been the hardest part. It's not like I saw him a lot anyway, just twice a year. So I guess I just keep thinking come summer I'll be staying at Malfoy Manor with him again for a week and enjoying his company and gossip. But then I remember that's not going to happen and it doesn't feel so great."

Rose watched her friend closely. Lily was clearly still suffering. There were bags under her eyes that had never been there before, her hair was not as smoothed down as usual, and her magic in classes had been somewhat diminished. Nobody seemed as lenient about this as her father. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs shared Defense Against the Dark Arts together and Rose couldn't help but notice that Lily had failed to perform spells in class she had done perfectly before. Harry always seemed to look the other way. Rose was worried her friend wouldn't be able to pass her OWL exams at this rate.

"How have you been coping? Who have you been talking to?"

"Lyra, mostly. I've sort of lost touch with her friends. I don't see Cletus and Caroline at all anymore. I don't really want to. They were always her friends, not mine. Which is why I was kind of glad to hear from you. I don't really have a lot of friends in my house…" Her sentence drifted and her eyes seemed to go blank as she looked off into the distance.

"Have you talked to anyone besides Lyra?"

Lily shook her head.

"Not even your dads?"

"Especially not them," Lily answered a bit too quickly. She blushed and apologized, "It's just that dad suffered enough from losing his father. I've seen how hard dad has had to work to keep him in good spirits. He isn't in his office most weekends now because he's going home to take care of him. I think I overheard him telling Neville that he's going to see about moving dad in during the school year so he can keep a closer eye on him. They have enough to worry about. They don't need me to add onto their issues."

Rose wanted to argue this, but she couldn't think of a valid counterpoint. She stayed silent a moment and watched her childhood friend fiddle with her teacup without drinking before saying, "Listen, I know I haven't been a good friend to you. When we got sorted away from each other I didn't try hard enough to keep in touch with you. I made excuses, and that wasn't okay. When mum and dad told us what happened, I was so worried for you. There were a few hours where Hugo and I were terrified that we were going to lose all of you. I didn't want you to die thinking that you meant nothing to me. I've totally ignored you; I'm so sorry. I want you to know that I'm here for you now. You can count on me Lily."

She glanced up at her ginger haired friend and smiled. She had felt so distant lately, she had nearly declined coming out to tea with her. She had thought Rose wasn't interested in keeping in touch with her anymore. They only saw each other on holidays, and that past Christmas they had hardly spoken. It was a relief to hear that she genuinely cared.

"I really appreciate it Rose," Lily started, "I'll try to come to you more when I need you. It just sucks that you're not in the same house as me. Half the time I need someone it's in the dead of night when we aren't allowed in the halls."

"Well, what about the Room of Requirement?"

"The what?"

"You don't know about it?"

"Obviously not," Lily frowned, draining her tea.

"Sorry, I thought Harry would have told you. Mum and dad have mentioned it a few times. It's this hidden room on the seventh floor. You just walk by the right spot of wall thinking about what you need and a door will appear. They used it during the war apparently. But I imagine if you asked for a space for all of the houses to meet in peace it could give you something like that."

Lily reclined and mulled it over, "I suppose that could work. Though for our purposes we only need a room that can keep us hidden from prefects so we can catch up. I just wish I had something to get me up their unnoticed. You know Mrs. Norris lurks most at night."

"Well, your dad still has that invisibility cloak right?"

"Yeah but it's hidden somewhere at home. He refuses to let us use it. Besides, that's not really my style. I'll figure something out. But how can I let you know when I need to meet at the Room of Requirement?"

Rose smiled, "Have you ever seen the coins our parents used for DA?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I know the charm my mum used on them. I'll see if I can replicate it on something. Got a couple knuts to spare?" Lily passes Rose a knut and the two agreed to meet in the Great Hall in a week and test the spell out. For the first time in awhile Lily felt like she had some sort of purpose. Even if it was just conniving a way to meet with her friend after hours, it was still better than sulking in her dorm all day.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

Lily covered her mouth to hold back her scream as she sat bolt upright in bed. She had tried going to bed but just as she had been slipping into unconsciousness her mind had created the image of her grandfather's brutalized and bloody body, mutilated from the attack of a werewolf. She reached for the coin on her nightstand and ran her finger along the ridge of it. The coin functioned a bit differently than the old DA coins. Instead of a time and date, touching it in just the right way caused the coin to heat up steadily. It was effectively a smoke signal to her friend up in Gryffindor tower that she was unwell. Lyra had been given the same coin, so that the odds of someone noticing she was in need were higher. The coin cooled in her hand. Someone had responded, acknowledging that they would meet her at the Room of Requirement. Whether it was her sister or Rose or both she was unsure. She would only find the answer when she got to the seventh floor.

She slipped out of bed and tugged on her socks to slip through the halls silently. She sometimes really hated living in the lower half of the castle. Getting up to the seventh floor was going to be a ridiculous challenge. She had no idea where Mrs. Norris or Peeves was. She managed to evade them as she went up the moving staircases, steering clear for five floors. It was when she was crossing a landing to get to the next set of stairs that Mrs. Norris cantered out from the hallway and turned her globe like eyes to Lily. She gasped in fear, and the cat hissed and turned back into the hall, clearly to alert Filch to her wandering. Lily grabbed her wand from her pyjama pocket and whispered, " _Petrificus totalus_!" The cat froze and fell over harmlessly. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued up the stairs.

She found the bare wall where the Room of Requirement. Nobody else was there yet. She paced in front of the wall thinking rapidly "I need a place to hide and talk to my friends. I need a safe place to talk to them."

After the third lap in front of the wall a grand doorway appeared. As it did, she heard a slight shuffling noise behind her. She whipped around, drawing her wand again in case it was another student or worse. Lyra held her hands up innocently, Rose walking just behind her. Lily smiled, "Oh, it's just you. Avoid trouble on the way?"

"Had to bribe Peeves to not go screaming to our heads of house," Rose shrugged, "But otherwise it was smooth sailing."

"So is there a password or something?" Lily asked as they all turned to face the door. Rose laughed and shook her head before opening the door and stepping inside.

Lily looked about the room and smiled. It was cozy, just a fireplace and some chairs. She couldn't help but notice that the chairs were three separate colors: forest green, ruby red, and mustard yellow. The large rug that covered most of the floor had the Hogwarts emblem stitched into it. End tables rested beside each chair and on each one was a small tray with a cup of tea and bowls for cream and sugar.

"Well, this is homie," Lyra quipped as she curled up on the green squishy chair and dumped several cubes of sugar into her cup. "So what's up sis?"

Lily settled down in her chair closest to the fire, comforted by its warmth as she tipped a little creamer into her tea, "I had a nightmare." She shook her head as she put only a single cube of sugar in her tea, "Well, not really. Nothing was actually happening, it was just an image."

"What of?" Rose asked gently, ignoring her tea and watching Lily closely.

"I… I imagined how mutilated his body would have been. Oh it was horrible. Blood and guts everywhere. Skin falling off flesh, blood pouring out of his eyes, bones protruding..." Lily clenched her eyes shut and shook her head, plopping her cup back down. The images were floating back into her mind against her will. She could feel her heart pounding again and her lungs seemed to be shrinking within her chest.

Rose glanced at Lyra to make sure this wasn't upsetting her, but it didn't appear to have any effect on her. Rose turned her eyes back to Lily, "I'm so sorry. That sounds horrible."

Lily didn't seem to acknowledge this. She just leaned back in her seat and stared up at the tall ceiling above as she tried to focus on how to breathe again. Rose silently gestured to Lyra to do something. Lyra took a long sip of her tea before putting the empty cup down on the saucer and sniffing indifferently, "Yeah, he probably was mutilated pretty bad."

Lily cast her gaze downward to look at her sister, tears slipping from the brim of her eyelids down her cheeks.

"Lyra," Rose groaned, "I don't think that's what she needs to hear."

"Yes it is," Lyra insisted, "It's horrifying. He was brutally killed. That's the reality of it. There's nothing you can do to change the truth."

"Yeah, sure," Lily frowned, "But I don't want to know what that looked like. He died in agony and immense pain and that terrifies me. He didn't deserve to die like that, nobody does."

"The sooner you accept what happened to him was horrible, the sooner you can move on. He died in awful pain, but at least he was living a good life up until the end. At least his last happy memories were with his family."

Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't really like Lyra's tough love approach and had been on the verge of cutting her short when she had miraculously turned her dire commentary into a positive thought.

Lily watched her twin silently for several minutes. Rose wondered if they were having some sort of telepathic communication and, if they were, whether or not it was through magic or the inherent connection of twins. Eventually she relaxed her posture and murmured, "I suppose you have a point."

"Are you going to be okay Lily?" Rose asked gently.

She glanced into the slowly flickering flames of the fireplace and nodded slowly, "Yeah. You guys should go back to your common rooms, get some sleep. I'll be okay."

They all stood, but before anyone could head for the door Lyra reached out and hugged her sister tight. Lily crumpled, crying all over again. She hated how prone she was to crying like this. She had been known for being a cry baby as a little girl, but had kicked the habit until recently. At least nobody in the family dared to poke fun at her for it.

She clutched her twin in her arms, the weight of their loss weighing heavy on her shoulders. Rose wrapped her arms around both of them. Lily laughed through her tears, "Have we really become those girls that have group hugs and sob together?"

"Speak for yourself," Lyra scoffed, "I ain't crying."

"Well, we can't all have hearts made of stone," Rose squeaked as she tried to hold back her own emotional tears. She was so worried for her friend and was relieved to see her overcoming at least parts of her grief.

"Oh Merlin," Lyra groaned while rolling her eyes, "Too many emotions. I'm getting out of this mess."

Lyra tried to wriggle away from them, but the girls only latched on tighter and laughed as she attempted to free herself from their feelings.


	26. Grown

December 23rd, 2022

Lily woke up first at the crack of dawn, which was hardly that early in the dead of winter. She threw her Beauty and the Beast comforter off herself and tossed her Humpty Dumpty plush, Omelet, across the room to Lyra's bed. Her sister grumbled under the covers.

"Lyra! Wake up!"

"No."

Lily cursed under her breath and grabbed her wand from where she had left it on her nightstand. She pointed it at her sister's blanket, " _Accio_."

Lyra gasped in surprise as the blanket flew off her body and onto her sister's bed. Lily laughed as the comforter smacked her in the face before shoving it aside. Lyra sat bolt upright, her hair an absolute nightmare, her eyes frantic and wild, "Lily what the hell! You're gonna get expelled for stupid shit like that!"

"Not anymore I'm not. Lyra, we're seventeen! The trace is officially gone!" Lily explained as her sister continued to seem utterly perplexed.

Lyra's expression of shock slowly shifted into a beaming grin. She scrambled out of bed and grabbed her wand. " _Wingardium leviosa_!" Lyra shot the spell directly at her sister who laughed hysterically as she started to float up above her bed. She slowly tipped upside down, staring at her topsy turvy sister, "I'll get you for that, _aguamenti_!" She doused her twin in a mild stream of cool water. Lyra screamed in surprise and without thinking, she flicked her wand and set Lily's bedside lamp on fire.

"That's not funny!" Lily screamed, quickly dousing out the fire the same spell.

"I wasn't trying to be funny, you startled me!" Lyra spat back as the levitation charm faded and Lily floated back down onto her bed.

"It was just a bit of water. I feel like setting a lamp on fire in response to getting a sprinkle over your head is a bit of an overreaction."

" _Mimblewimble_ ," Lyra twitched her wand again. She laughed as Lily attempted to lecture her more, but was unable to make any coherent sense around her literally twisted tongue. "What's that, sis? Can't hear ya."

Lily pointed her wand directly at her sister and attempted to speak, but it came out sounding like, "Ifsh oor ut airful, I ul ink oo"

Lyra, realizing how dangerous it was for her ticked off sister to be pointing a wand at her when she couldn't properly speak, quickly undid the charm. Lily's jaw relaxed as her tongue returned to normal in her mouth. She smiled, "Thank you. I was just about to see what would happen if I tried to cast a bat bogey hex without proper annunciation."

"Of course you were. Hey, can you dry me off?" Lyra asked as she got out of bed.

Lily grinned. She knew the spell for a quick dry, but she figured her sister deserved better than that, "Sure. Arms out, facing me." Foolishly, Lyra did as she was asked. " _Ventus_."

Lyra was immediately pushed back two feet across the room by an extreme wind. She barely stopped herself from being knocked over. She tried to fight against the powerful wind, yelling at her sister all the while as Lily laughed at her sister's well deserved consequence.

Their bedroom door banged open loudly. Both girls screamed in surprise. Lily jerked her wand and the spell vanished, causing Lyra to collapse on the floor. Draco stood in their doorway, staring at them passively. The lamp was singed, there was a puddle on the floor, the beds were in disarray, and both girls looked like an absolute mess.

"Five minutes," Draco started plainly, "You've been without the trace and already you two are causing total chaos."

The sisters exchanged a look. Lily shrugged. Lyra turned to their dad and said frankly, "What'd you expect?"

"Honestly," He sighed, "I expected one minute. I owe Harry some galleons. Anyway, come down to breakfast. Or did you want to skip on the nice birthday meal I made for you?"

"That depends," Lyra said as she got to her feet, "Are we having cake for breakfast?"

Draco smiled, "Obviously. I'm not a monster."

"Then yes, we'll be right down," Lyra said with unnecessary dignity. The girls made their beds with their magic as soon as their dad was out the door. Naturally, they couldn't even make their way down into the kitchen without using magic at every possible turn. Lily turned the stairs into a slide, Lyra transfigured a stray book on the couch in the living room into a thumbtack, and Lily blasted confetti in the air as they entered the room. Their family sat at the dining table, impatiently waiting to eat. James and Caelum both looked incredibly frustrated. James wanted to do magic in the house as well, and Caelum just wanted his own damn wand. Harry, however, was perfectly entertained by his incredulous daughters. He was glad that they could enjoy their seventeenth birthday to the fullest, unlike he had when he came of age.

Once they had tucked away and eaten the enormous amount of food Draco had prepared, Draco brought out the girls' two individual cakes he had spent all night making and concealing from sight. Lily's was a small layered cake adorned with both real and fake lily flowers, a touch of glitter brushed across the petals. Lyra's, as expected, was quite the opposite. Hers resembled a cauldron with a Slytherin snake adorning it. Both girls were utterly delighted and insisted they weren't going to share the cake with anyone else. After the boys groaned and complained the dads clarified that, in fact, the girls had to share. With the sweets evenly distributed and the bickering subdued, it was Harry's turn to dote upon his daughters.

He disappeared briefly to the other room to retrieve their small gifts. He sat back down and offered a single small box to each girl.

"Now, before you open it," He clarified, "Your father and I just want to let you know how proud we are of both of you. You've come a long way and it's been an honor to watch you both grow into fine witches. We love you and we can't wait to see how much more you'll grow in the years to come." Despite his calm tone, Harry meant every word. He could have sworn he had just held his baby girls, had just panicked over whether or not they would survive their first week of life. Hadn't he just made the unbreakable vow to care for and love them?

Lily was misty eyed and jumped up to hug her dads individually. Lyra, however, did not leap up or say any kind words to her loving fathers. She simply exchanged quiet smiles with each of them in turn. She was not one for obvious gratitude.

When Lily wrapped her arms around Draco he could have cried. It was unbelievable to him how fast time had gone by them. He didn't want to let her go. He had always been right by her side her entire life, always anxious to catch her fall. But he knew it was time to let her go and take care of herself. She pulled away and he let her go, surreptitiously wiping a tear off his cheek. Only Harry seemed to notice.

"Alright," Draco chimed once Lily had settled down, "Go ahead and open them."

The girls tore apart the wrappings quickly and simultaneously. Underneath lay two identical square boxes. They slowly pried the lids open to reveal delicate watches inside. Lily gasped in astonishment as she picked up the silver watch with small emerald dotted hands ticking by with the time. Lyra's was of a more simple design with a rose gold band.

"It's traditional for witches and wizards to receive a watch for their seventeenth birthdays. Those are our old watches. We thought they might serve you well. Lyra, yours is a bit modified. I figured solid gold would look gaudy for you, so I tinted the color a bit. I hope you don't mind." Harry explained gently. He had replaced Fabian Prewett's watch many years ago when he had gifted it to George, who he felt was the rightful owner of it and who he had already passed it down to Freddie. The watch Lyra now put on her wrist was one that Harry had been wearing since before the girls were born. He was remiss to be parting with it, but he knew she would treat it well.

"I changed yours a bit too," Draco mentioned to Lily, "Used to have a big black 'M' on the face was for Malfoy. Suited me, but you're not just a Malfoy so it didn't seem quite right. I know the colors aren't of your house, but I doubt if anyone will notice." He had worn that watch since he had turned seventeen. It had been such a somber birthday prior to the war starting, he had hardly appreciated the gift. But he had grown to love it over the years and he found that it looked absolutely at home on his daughter's wrist. Her whole head had barely been bigger than that watch when she was born, and yet now she was wearing it. He could hardly believe his little girl had grown so much so fast.

The girls thanked their fathers profusely as they admired the beautiful watches. The boys pouted aimlessly in the background.

"Don't worry," Draco assured them, "You'll get fine watches someday soon."

"Daaad," James whined, "It's gonna be like a jillion years before I'm seventeen."

"Try five," Draco corrected.

"Whatever. I just want to do magic now."

"You barely know any magic," Caelum quipped.

"I know more than you do," James pointed out.

"Oh god," Harry groaned, "Just because they're of age now doesn't mean you two have to take up the mantle of bickering siblings."

The whole table burst with laughter.


	27. Back Again

September 1st, 2023

Caelum was finally going to join the rest of his family at Hogwarts. Everyone in his family was heading off on the Hogwarts express today. Headmaster McGonagall had agreed to expand the Defense Against the Dark Arts office to have a separate wing for Draco and Harry to stay in during the school year, a makeshift home away from home so they wouldn't have to exhaust the floo powder system anymore. There was just no sense in Draco staying home alone day-in and day-out. Now that Caelum was going off to school and Draco was joining them, there was nobody to say goodbye to at the station. There was no tears to be shed that day at platform 9 ¾. Instead, when Caelum went last through the barrier at King's Cross Station he found his family had already dispersed. Lyra was snogging Freddie in the shadow of a pillar, Rose and Hugo were boarding with Lily and James, and Draco and Harry were following just behind with all of the family's bags levitating in front of them. Caelum stood still on the platform, holding onto his one trunk. His heart seemed to sink to his feet.

This was not the farewell he had always imagined. He knew that he would be boarding with his siblings, he always had, but he had thought at least his dads would make a big deal out of his first year, like they had with Lily Lyra and James. But the two had literally kept their backs to him and boarded the train without a secondary glance to their youngest child. He couldn't believe it. The biggest day of his incredibly young life and nobody was there to celebrate or be excited for him. He wondered what would happen if he left, if he turned around and walked right back into King's Cross and called a cab home. Maybe he ought not to go to Hogwarts. It's not as if anyone would be paying attention to his sorting. Was he really so irrelevant to his family?

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, feeling hollow yet rooted firmly to the spot. His vision was zoning in and out. He didn't know what to do, and even when he thought of possible actions he couldn't get the willpower to follow through with them. He watched Lyra and Freddie hop onto the train and heard the train's whistle pierce the air. It would be taking off in a couple minutes, and Caelum still stood several feet away from the bright red train.

Harry suddenly popped off the train, looking around frantically before spotting Caelum and rushing over to him, "Hey, what's going on? Aren't you coming?" Harry asked as he knelt in front of his son, his green eyes bright with worry.

Caelum still felt utterly distant, as if his mind was miles and miles away. He had a hard time articulating his words, "I—I thought …"

"Are you nervous about where you'll be sorted?" Harry guessed wildly.

"No, dad," Caelum snapped irritably, finally coming out of his daze, "I don't give a rat's ass where I'm sorted. Nobody bothered to say goodbye to me. You all boarded without me. Lily, Lyra, and James all got a loving send off and you just left me on the platform!" He couldn't hold back his heartache. He hated how much his siblings overshadowed him. They were always the focus of their fathers. They never seemed to pay Caelum the least bit of mind.

"I'm sorry," Harry spoke emphatically, "We fucked up, Cael. You deserved better than that. As much as I would love to make that up for you right now, you're going to miss the train. You are going to be a strong wizard, Caelum, but you can't be if you don't get on this train."

The Hogwarts Express began to move at that precise moment, picking up momentum quicker than either had expected. Harry waved his wand at Caelum's trunk and it zoomed off, flying into the last train car.

"Come on!" Harry shouted, grabbing his son's hand as they both ran for it. Train car after train car passed as they closed the distance between them and the train. When they were just mere feet away and the last car was about to pull away, Harry let go of Caelum's hand and hooked an arm around him and practically threw him onto the train car landing. Caelum gripped onto the railings, barely getting his footing as the train emerged into the open world. He turned around and gasped as he realized that his father had not made it in time. Harry had ensured his son got on safely, but in doing so lost his own opportunity to get aboard. The entire train was already out of the platform and distancing itself fast.

"DAD!" Caelum ignored how high above the earth he was as he looked back toward the fading platform screamed for his father who was already out of sight.

"Stop shouting, I can hear you," Harry's voice said gently behind him. Caelum turned around and saw his father standing behind him. Caelum felt his eyes water and lunged into his father, holding him tight.

Harry grunted as the air was knocked out of him "Easy, son, apparating takes enough of a toll on me these days without you barreling into me."

Caelum pulled away and looked up at his father as the wind whipped their hair about, "You apparated onto a moving train?"

"Yeah, your dad's got more tricks up his sleeve than you know about. Come on, let's get inside before we fall to our deaths out here," Harry encouraged as he opened the door to the train car and lead them both in.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I just — I thought you guys didn't care about me."

"Caelum, you're my son. I will love you no matter what. I'm thrilled you're finally off to Hogwarts with us. I'm sorry we were too distracted to have made this morning more special for you. But I promise, nobody is going to cheer louder than I am when you're sorted," Harry assured his son.

Caelum beamed, thrilled to finally hear words of reassurance. "Thanks, dad."

"Now, run along and meet some other first years. I've got to try and make my way to the professors' cabin before your father worries," Harry said before walking out the door again and easily apparating over the gap to the next train car.

Caelum turned and stared down the long hall of cabins, all with their doors shut. He walked slowly, looking in each one to see if there was any room for him. Every single one he passed was full, until he got to the very end of the train and discovered what appeared to be an empty cabin. Caelum entered, preparing for a long train ride with the small book he had wedged into his back pocket. Instead, he found a young girl sitting close to the door who he had not been able to see through the window. They both jumped slightly when he entered.

"Sorry, I thought the cabin was empty," Caelum quickly apologized. He wasn't sure whether or not to shut the door and leave her be or enter anyway, so he stood awkwardly in the doorway as he stared at the blonde girl.

"It's okay, you just took me by surprise. You can sit here if you like," She offered.

He glanced around the cabin and picked at the cuticles of his hands, tearing off a bit of loose skin, "Yeah, sure, okay. Looks like my trunk came in here anyway," He noticed as he glanced at the racks above the seats.

The girl followed his gaze, "Yeah, I was wondering why it flew up there as the train was taking off. Speaking of which, have you been looking for a place to sit this whole time? The train took off some time ago."

"Uhh," Caelum kept picking at his cuticles, unaware that they had started to bleed, "Yeah. Long story."

"That's okay. You don't have to tell me. But maybe sit down instead of standing in the door? The trolley lady will be coming by soon."

Caelum's cheeks flushed pink as he shuffled into the cabin and sat across from her. He rang his hands in his lap and stared at his feet.

"I'm Daisy Longbottom, by the way. What's your name?"

"Caelum Potter-Malfoy."

"Caelum? That's an odd name. What does it mean?"

"I don't know if it means anything exactly, but Caelum is the name of a constellation. It's kind of my dad's thing. Although, I have a sister with a flower name, so I don't know what they were going for."

"Yeah? My brother has a plant name like my mine. Parents are weird. I don't get why they have to pick a theme for kids names. Whatever happened to ordinary names like Jane?"

Caelum looked at her properly for the first time and smiled, "Or John." They exchanged grins, until she glanced down and noticed the blood dotting a few of his fingers.

"You're hurt!" She exclaimed.

Caelum glanced down at his fingers and noticed the pinpricks of dark red blood that were pooling at his nails. He automatically sucked the blood off his cuticle, which seemed to surprise her. He looked away again, his cheeks still pink, "Sorry. When I'm nervous I bite at my hangnails. It's no big deal."

"You're sure?" Daisy asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, honestly, it's fine."

"Oh, okay."

The two young first year students sat quietly for awhile, uncertain how to carry on their conversation and both too shy to start it up again. But hours on a train has a way of forcing even the shyest of souls to interact. By the time they reached the Great Hall, Daisy and Caelum were friendly enough with each other that they both hoped they could get into the same house. They were both terrified of having to join a house where they didn't know anybody, as clearly neither of them were adept at socializing. As they milled up the stairs into the regal castle, Daisy reflected on this, "I mean, I suppose there's a chance I'll get into Gryffindor like my brother Rowan. So, chances are that I'll end up in a house where I don't know anybody."

"I would say you have a fifty percent chance. You could end up in whatever house I'm in, and I know that won't be Gryffindor." Caelum assured her, "But I've got really good odds. Each of my three older siblings are in different houses so the chances I end up in Ravenclaw away from them is slim to none."

"I don't know if chance has a lot to do with it though," Daisy murmured as they were shuffled into the Great Hall and passed between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

"Oy, there they are!" A voice from their left could be heard. Daisy and Caelum both looked in the direction of the familiar voice and found their brothers side by side, waving frantically at their baby siblings. Rowan, a handsome blonde fifth year, had never been especially close with James, but they were both eager to see the youngest in their family joining the school. Caelum and Daisy blushed and waved to their obnoxious brothers.

"Psst!" A girl hissed to the right. Caelum glanced over and smiled to his of-age sister at the Hufflepuff table. "Good luck, Cael!" She murmured to him before he moved on.

Finally, they made their way to the front. Daisy glanced at her father at the professors table. He smiled reassuringly toward her. Caelum exchanged a knowing nod with his own father sitting beside Professor Longbottom.

"I'll be sorted first, you'll follow just after that. You just gotta hope you're in my house, right?" Daisy asked Caelum nervously.

"Yeah, just gotta hope."

Time seemed to speed up when they least wanted it to. Before either of them knew it, Daisy was sitting on the stool, sorting hat upon her head. When the hat cried "Hufflepuff!" Caelum cheered loudly. Neville and his wife, who quietly was watching from the far wall, both looked at each other with delight as they joined the applause. They couldn't have been prouder.

When Caelum's time came, he hopped onto the stool with more excitement than he had anticipated. He had a good feeling he could get into Hufflepuff. In the moments before the brim of the hat could cover his eyes, he saw his siblings in at their tables, watching anxiously. Standing just behind Lyra at the Slytherin table was his other father. They locked eyes for a brief second. Draco smiled reassuringly to his son. The hat cut off Caelum's sight of the crowd just then and whispered in his ear, "You long so badly to be with them, don't you?"

Caelum was unsurprised by the voice. He had been very anxious about his first year at Hogwarts and had pestered his siblings with questions for the past two years. He even had stolen Lyra's barely opened copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ to read over the summer. He knew that he was not meant to respond out loud to the hat, but that it could read his mind through an incredibly powerful spell.

 _I just don't want to be alone_ , Caelum thought to himself.

"If that's not the most pathetic thing I've ever heard," The hat laughed.

Caelum had read the hat was known to have an attitude, but this seemed unwarranted. Nonetheless, he was not deterred, _Regardless of your opinion on my preference, it would be nice if you could sort me already_.

"What, no rebuttal?"

 _No, please just sort me already._

"And why should I?"

 _Because it's your job._

"Indeed it is, but I have no time limit."

 _That seems like a flaw._

"Oh you think you know better than the founders of Hogwarts?"

 _No, but it does appear that they didn't think of everything. I know hat stalls can take time, but it does seem pretty ridiculous that there's no function that forces you to sort a student within a certain amount of time. Every job has to have some form of regulation, right?_

The hat laughed profusely in his ear before finally composing itself, "You are the first in a long time to put a stitch in my side, and that's saying something. Yes, she would have been delighted to have you as her student, I have no doubt. You belong in RAVENCLAW!" The hat cried out the house name to the entire hall.

Draco and Harry made eye contact from across the Great Hall, both utterly surprised. Lily looked to Lyra in dismay and James exchanged a concerned look with Freddie. They all knew that Caelum, despite his general introversion, desperately needed company. They had all privately assumed he would get sorted into Hufflepuff, where Lily could take care of him and make sure that he made friends in his year. Not once had any of them considered he was smart or clever enough for Ravenclaw. None of his family had noticed his tendency for sneaking books off the shelves, staring off into his daydreams, or anxiously learning all he could about magic. They only saw a young boy who rarely displayed magic tendencies. Until his letter had arrived, Lyra and James had worried he may be a squib. Despite their general love for him, his entire family had underestimated Caelum's abilities.

None of them were cheering or clapping as Caelum moved to sit with the Ravenclaw table, awkwardly sitting alongside another first year that had been sorted there, aside from Harry who upheld his promise to his son, despite the look of confusion on his face. Caelum, fortunately, was unaware of this.

"Go figure," Neville murmured beside Harry as the hat was placed on the next first year. "You got one in each house. I don't know if that's ever happened before. Has it Minnie?" He asked, turning to his right to ask the Headmistress.

Minerva McGonagall glanced at him briefly and sniffed, "Not that I can recall, and you'll care to remember that it's still Minerva to you, Longbottom."

Neville snickered before glancing back at Harry who still looked utterly out of it. Neville looked over in Draco's direction and found he looked equally distressed. He noticed he was looking directly at Harry. He imagined the two may have been exchanging a conversation without speaking, without magic. Applause burst again and Neville turned his attention back to the sorting.

Caelum sat quietly at the Ravenclaw table throughout the rest of the sorting and the subsequent dinner. A couple other first year Ravenclaws chatted with him, but he was not the greatest conversationalist that night. He felt off. He wanted to go and sit with his brother. He would even go and sit with Lyra, even though they were the least close. He just wanted to be with his family at their table at home. He didn't want to be surrounded by unfamiliar strangers who didn't know him. He did his best, but only exchanged real pleasantries with a shaggy looking boy that sat beside him. At night, up in the massive Ravenclaw dormitories, he played a mostly silent round of chess with the shaggy boy before heading to bed early. He was sound asleep by the time the rest of them went up to change, just as he had planned.


	28. Party On

April 6th 2024

Saturdays at Hogwarts were Lyra's favorite. She had a tendency to cram all of her studies in during weeknights so that she could play all weekend long. This usually meant finding a good place to have some quiet time with her boyfriend of two and a half years down in Hogsmeade, but he was busy at his father's shop that weekend after their huge April Fool's sale. Instead, Lyra found herself on this quiet Saturday afternoon in the Great Hall with her sister, who was absently nibbling away at a pastry that she had brought into the Hall with her. Lyra assumed she had paid a house elf for them. She hadn't been eating or sleeping like a normal human being lately because of their NEWT exams. Lyra was not particularly worried. She couldn't have cared less what her NEWT grades would be. She had had good enough OWLs to get into NEWT level Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts but they had been the only subjects she really cared about. She had been doing just fine in all of her classes, even managing to impress her father with her abilities in his class. Unsurprisingly, when he had started the patronus lessons earlier in the year Lyra had been the most successful and was casting a corporeal Patronus by Christmas.

What Lyra did not know was how much ribbing Harry was getting for this among his friends. He had been so proud of her he had boasted at the Weasley Christmas gathering and immediately was teased by Ron and Hermione for it, "What did you expect? She's _your_ daughter." Followed by George who helpfully added, "Oh yeah, she's seventeen and can cast a Patronus. You were slaughtering horcruxes at that age, Harry, it's not that impressive."

No, Lyra was blithely unaware of the pride or the teasing she had brought her parents when she had cast her fox patronus. She had only been aware of how annoyed it had made her sister who struggled more with the charm. To make it up to her, Lyra helped her practice around the grounds for months. It was only the month previous that Lily had finally managed to cast a corporeal patronus. Much to their surprise, the silvery wisps of her charm had evolved into a unicorn form. Immensely proud of overcoming her struggle with the charm, Lily had shown off in their next Defense Against the Dark Arts class and genuinely surprised their dad.

Despite Lily's immense success at mastering the patronus charm and her general good grades in her other classes, she still spent most meals like she did that Saturday, her food threatening to stain the pages of her textbooks.

Lyra was hoping to have an actual conversation with her sister for once, but every time she tried to talk, her twin shushed her. So, instead, Lyra took to people watching. Not many students milled about in the Great Hall on the weekends. She watched some first year Gryffindors and Slytherins betting on a game of wizard's chess with chocolate frog cards, a few fourth year Hufflepuffs gathered in a circle playing gobstones, and some fifth years were practicing charms for their OWL exams. It was all quite dull. Didn't anyone have anything fun to do? Lyra sometimes wished she hadn't been her father's child but instead a classmate of his. What she wouldn't give for a mass rebellion right about now. She was oddly jealous of the adventures he had had, not recognizing the immense difficulties and tolls that war had on families at the time.

Just as she was getting ready to go somewhere more amusing, she spotted someone approaching the table. A very tall, lean boy with golden brown hair in wispy curls was headed toward them. His nose had delicate little freckles and his eyelashes were almost invisible under his dark brows. Lyra was intrigued and watched him carefully. He was utterly unaware of someone staring at him. She saw the look of total concentration on his eyes and realized he was not approaching _them_ , he was approaching Lily. As if watching a movie, Lyra said nothing to her sister and decided to watch the scene unfold on its own.

The boy stood beside her and gently tapped on her shoulder. Lily glanced over at him and grinned, "Oh, hey Benjamin. What's up?"

"Lily I was wondering if…" He started to ask her, but suddenly lost the ability to speak. He was figuratively choking, and only Lyra seemed to notice.

Lily looked at him curiously, "Yes?"

"Can I borrow your notes from last week's transfiguration lesson? Mine, er, flew away in, er, the breeze. By the time I noticed it had gotten caught up in the whomping willow." Benjamin quickly lied, though, again, only Lyra seemed to notice how painfully obvious it was that he was making an excuse up on the fly.

"Oh, of course Ben," Lily agreed as she rifled through her bag at her side and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment and handed it to him, "Let me know if you can't read my handwriting, I know it's awful."

"No it's not," Benjamin replied a bit too quickly, "It's …"

Lily stared at him curiously. Had he really noticed her penmanship before? And what was their to say about it besides it being either bad or adequate?

"It's curly. Different, I mean. I don't know. I'll talk to you later," He rushed each sentence out before turning away. Lyra caught the very subtle creep of crimson on his cheeks before he fled the scene.

"Hm, that's odd…" Lily murmured to herself before turning back to her textbook.

"It's only odd if you're blind," Lyra commented dryly.

Lily looked up, opening her mouth to reply but hesitating. She recognized that look on her sister's scheming face all too well. "What on earth you up to now?"

"Do you ever feel like there's not enough fun inside the castle?" Lyra asked

"We don't have time for fun, Ly. We're supposed to be focused on our exams."

"In case you haven't noticed, it's the Saturday of Easter break. We go back to class on Monday. Why have you been studying all week anyway?"

"We can't afford days off. I do not intend to fail my NEWTs."

"God, you sound like Hermione. Dad always said she could never learn when to take a break either. Well, I think we deserve a proper break. Keep an eye out."

"For what?"

"You'll see," Lyra said as she jumped up and headed out of the hall.

Lily rolled her eyes and continued at her work, wondering what sort of trouble Lyra was about to get into. She cast a cursory glance at the hourglasses that kept pace of the house points. Slytherin and Hufflepuff were tied for second behind Ravenclaw. She smiled to herself. If she was lucky, Lyra would get herself in enough trouble that Hufflepuff could finally get close to winning the house cup.

...

It didn't take long for Lily to find out what Lyra was up to. When she returned to her common room there was word buzzing among the older students. They seemed to all be clustered around something. She wandered over, peering through the small crowd to see Penny, in her year, holding out a small flyer. The text was gigantic and kept flashing from black to red:

 **TIRED OF STUDYING? DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FUN THIS BREAK?**

 **SICK OF TRYING TO FIND A GOOD PLACE TO HANG OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS IN OTHER HOUSES?**

 **7TH FLOOR, ACROSS FROM BARNABAS THE BARMY, TONIGHT, 10PM.**

 **ALL. HOUSES. WELCOME.**

 **FIFTH TO SEVENTH YEARS ONLY.**

"What the hell kind of location is that?" One girl asked.

"I don't know, maybe there's a spare classroom up there we don't use?"

"That's gotta be it."

"Lily?" A soft voice murmured from behind. She turned and saw Benjamin. "What's going on?"

Lily sighed, "You saw the poster going around?"

"No…?" He said as he leaned over, his head towering above nearly everyone else as he read the obnoxious words, "Okay, now I've seen it."

Lily grabbed his sleeve and tugged him away from the crowd of students. She pulled him aside where they couldn't be overheard, not noticing the slight look of surprise on his face. She murmured under her breath, "My sister's up to no good. I know she's behind this. That isn't just an empty classroom. That's the Room of Requirement."

"What's that?" Ben asked, not following a word she was saying.

"It's a vanishing room. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically my sister is using a secret room in the castle to throw an insane party. Merlin knows she's gone off to buy a ton of butterbeer. This is a disaster in the making. I don't know why she's doing this."

"I mean, she kind of has a point. Nothing terribly exciting happened to anyone this easter. Most of the students are back by now, but the teachers are still off. Aren't your dads still on vacation?"

Lily's eyes widened, "Of course. Our parents went on a vacation with Ron and Hermione for the easter holidays, they aren't coming back until Sunday night. She's doing this on purpose. She thinks she can't get caught without them here, but Peeves and Filch are still here!"

"Why are you worried? If she gets caught it only puts her in trouble, unless she told you about it. Besides, how do you know this is her doing?"

"Twin sense, I just know," Lily explained quickly, "I just don't want her to get caught. Not to mention if this flyer has gotten around to the other houses, that's a lot of potential students getting caught. All of us could stand to lose points for this. We should try and find her before tonight and get her to call it off."

"Even if we did find her in time, it's not like she can personally find every single student that's seen the fliers being passed around and tell them it's off. Even then, half of them would show up there anyway. There's nothing we can really do, unless you want to tell the Head Boy and guarantee she gets in trouble for it," Benjamin pointed out.

Lily frowned, sensing she was getting backed into a corner here. There was no apparent way to put an end to the party itself.

"Doesn't Lyra do this kind of thing regularly?" Benjamin asked gently.

Lily glanced away, "Yeah. Pretty much once a year."

"And how often does she get away with it?"

"Most of the time, but only because I'm there to save her."

"So, maybe, you shouldn't worry just this once? I'm not saying she should throw a giant party in the requirement room, but chances are if she's planned this she's also worked out how to get away with it without getting caught," Benjamin reasoned.

"What if I go and just make sure that it doesn't get too out of hand? I'm still a prefect. I should at least be there to make sure it doesn't go awry," Lily decided with finality. Benjamin didn't understand why she felt the need to do this, why she never once considered just going to enjoy herself, but he knew better than to argue with her. He had been her class mate for seven years. He knew once she made up her mind on something, that was it. But he finally discovered the potential advantage to this party. He grinned and turned to Lily before she could wander off, "Hey? Why don't I go with you. You know, for back up?"

"Yeah, good idea," Lily said absently, agreeing before meandering off to continue studying her Herbology work.

...

Lyra hid in plain sight in the seventh floor corridor outside of the wall where the Room of Requirement door that was only visible to those that had seen the flyer. She had been extremely specific when she had made the room appear, and she knew that it would work just fine for their needs. She stood there as as sentinel, making sure everyone made it in safely while she remained under a simple disillusionment charm. The first several students showed up, cautiously peering down the corridor. She removed the charm and waved them over.

One of the students, a familiar looking fifth year Gryffindor, held out the flier, "We got this from James, is this the right spot?"

Lyra grinned. Her brother was always a reliable companion in her schemes. She nodded to the group of boys, "Yes it is. This door will lead you into the room. Make yourselves right at home. More people should be headed round in a bit."

The boys pushed through the massive door and entered what appeared to be a silent room. As soon as they were totally past the threshold, however, they were met with a loud music that seemed to come from nowhere. The room was dimly lit by floating lanterns and a single small fireplace. Posters of each of the four houses adorned the walls, and the Hogwarts crest was engraved in the wall above the fireplace. A variety of red, black, navy, and emerald hued chairs and sofas were strewn about the fairly large room. A number of tables were covered in food, and an entire table was filled with empty glasses. One of the fifth years, Rowan Longbottom, wandered over and picked up an empty mug. As soon as it left the table a charm triggered it to fill instantly with butterbeer. The boys were immensely impressed and immediately began to drink as a stream of Ravenclaw boys and girls filtered into the room.

Rowan couldn't help but tease Lucy Weasley, "A goody two shoes prefect? At a very illegal inter house party? I'm shocked, truly."

Lucy, the proud daughter of Percy Weasley, scoffed and rolled her eyes at the obnoxious boy, "I can have fun once and awhile too y'know."

"Not likely," Rowan smirked.

Lucy ignored him and wandered about with her small group of friends in the still mostly empty room. With time, students began to filter in and fill the room.

Lyra beamed when she saw Rose appear in the corridor. She whispered softly, "I was wondering when the hell you were going to show up."

"Don't worry," Rose smiled, "I made sure that the Gryffindors are leaving in groups so as not to all get caught at once. That's why I came later. Fifth years went first, y'know?"

"Good plan. I take it Lucy did the same?"

"Or something like it. She probably found some more clever way of doing it. How did they get here anyway?"

"Oh, they all had on disillusionment charms like I did."

"Of course," Rose smirked, "Any Slytherins or Huffles yet?"

"Slytherins have been coming in clusters too. I'm worried about Lily. This whole thing was for her and …" She glanced up and happened to spot a band of yellow ties coming their way. She smiled and nudged Rose along before welcoming the Hufflepuffs. She knew if they were here, Lily wouldn't be far behind. She always had a way of interrupting Lyra's plans, but this time she hadn't been smart enough to notice this was a trap devised especially for her.

Sure enough, Lily and Benjamin appeared side by side a few minutes later.

"Welcome to the party," Lyra winked to her sister.

"Lyra this is madness," Lily whispered sharply.

"What do you think, Ben?" Lyra asked, looking up at the bean pole of a wizard, "Is it madness to throw an end of holiday party?"

Benjamin glanced between the twins and sidestepped them completely, "I'm just… gonna … go in now." He vanished from sight into the Room of Requirement.

"How are you planning on not catching anyone's attention up here?" Lily asked matter-of-factly with her arms crossed over chest.

Lyra shrugged, "That's not really your concern is it? Unless you're here as a prefect to rat me out. In which case, you should know there's a pretty even distribution of houses in there. Don't want to piss off the entire school do you, Lil?"

"I just don't want you to get in trouble. Again!"

"Dads aren't even here, it's fine. Now get inside and have fun for once in your life."

"No, I'm going to stay out here and make sure you aren't caught. What if Filch comes around the corner?" Lily asked.

"Easy, I just petrify him and that dumb cat."

"That's even worse than the party itself!"

Lyra rolled her eyes, "What're they gonna do? Expel me?"

"They could!"

"They won't."

"Your arrogance is going to kill you someday."

"Sure, whatever. If you continue to stand here and try to stop me, I will just imperio you into the damn room myself."

"You wouldn't dare cast an unforgivable inside Hogwarts."

Lyra raised an eyebrow and leaned close to her sister, "You wanna fucking bet?"

Lily stepped back, startled by the ferocity in her sister's eyes. She didn't see any way around it. She groaned and shoved past her sister and into the Room of Requirement. She was surprised at just how many people were in the room. She guessed some fifty to a hundred students were packing the place. It was like the parties she saw in muggle movies, only with random displays of magic.

She wandered through the sea of people, unsure of what to do with herself. She only socialized in big crowds at family events. She grabbed a glass of butterbeer, sipping from it as she hid from the populace against a far wall. A few moments passed, and then, from the middle of the room, her sister's voice carried over the crowd and cut off the music.

"May I have your attention please? Thank you my dears. Now that you've all got a healthy amount of butterbeer in your systems, why don't we make things interesting? Can my muggle borns make some noise?"

Half of the room whooped and screamed in response. Lily sat up straight and moved toward the middle of the room as her sister continued using a spell to amplify her voice, "Alright, can I get one of you lovely muggle borns to come forward? We're gonna teach these sweet witches and wizards a thing or two about muggle parties." Lily managed to get close enough to see what was going on.

Lyra had sat down on the floor, surrounded by a circle of onlookers in the room. A few muggle born students entered the circle, a few seemed to have been pushed forward. Lyra summoned an empty butterbeer bottle from across the room and placed it on the floor between the six muggle borns that had sat down around her. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. She was starting to think her father's idea to raise them with muggle media had been a bad idea. Lyra had definitely seen this on one of her crappy serials. She explained the process for the onlooking and confused young students. She asked one muggle born to spin the empty bottle and when it landed on another boy she explained the closet across the room was all theirs for seven minutes. With the rules explained and the boys blushingly egged on into the closet, she turned to her audience, seemingly in her element, and asked who wanted to play.

At first, reluctance seemed to hold her audience captive.

Lyra put on her best charm, "Oh come on, live a little." She wandered into the crowd and grabbed the hand of a handsome seventh year Ravenclaw, "Who doesn't want to kiss this beautiful face?"

The boy blushed slightly but smiled, preening a bit in the limelight. Some girls stirred with excitement at the prospect.

Lyra ventured again and pulled out a gorgeous Gryffindor girl, "I mean really, anyone would be lucky to have seven minutes with this divinity."

The crowd seemed to agree and several people began to push their way into the circle, sitting around the single bottle left on the floor.

"Okay, okay, slow your roll folks. Only ten to a bottle, there's plenty more where that came from," She orchestrated, breaking groups up and moving people around. Lily couldn't believe this was happening. She watched as the students formed into random groups. She thought she would easily avoid this ridiculous game. Surely there would still be plenty of people who were uninterested? But in a matter of minutes, she was one of only a few people still standing around. Doors were appearing all around them. The room was making closets for the sudden influx of horny teenagers. Lily looked around in desperation, unsure what to do when she caught eyes with Benjamin who was standing a few meters away.

She moved over to him, "Can you believe this?"

"Er," Benjamin said, flush from drinking butterbeer, "No?"

"I mean, really, this isn't a good idea. This is hardly consensual," Lily grumbled.

Lyra stood in the middle of the room and chimed in, "Remember, you can say no if the bottle lands on you! It's up to you whether or not you want to do it."

Lily rolled her eyes. Did her sister always have to know what she was thinking? Lyra happened to look over and spot the two standing off to the side. She knew this would happen, but she had planned for it. A quick glance about the room caught four other students who seemed more reluctant than the rest. She waved the four other students over and set them up on the floor in front of Lily and Benjamin.

"Well? You two going to join or what?" Lyra asked.

"Lyra this is insane," Lily huffed.

"Oh, live a little," Lyra laughed, "It's just a little light snogging. Well, I suppose you could do a lot more than that in seven minutes. But, knowing you, you'll just hold hands, right?"

She had hit a sore spot, and she knew it. Lily, in a fit of angry rebellion, sat down in the circle. Lyra knew of her sister's oversensitivity surrounding her quaint, quiet nature. Lily had divulged on more than one occasion in the past year or two that she hated how inexperienced she was compared to Lyra and her peers, always insisting she wasn't as innocent as everyone assumed, even if she still hadn't had her first kiss.

"Well, Benjamin, you're the odd one out. They need an even number to make the game work," Lyra pointed out casually.

Benjamin swallowed hard before slowly sitting down beside Lily.

"Have fuuuun," Lyra crooned before wandering away to monitor the room. She glanced over her shoulder at Lily's group. A random Ravenclaw spun the bottle first. Lyra continued pacing the room, keeping one eye on Lily the entire time. The Ravenclaw went off with a Hufflepuff that Lyra didn't know.

"Remember, count out the minutes. Chat a bit while you wait for the pair to come back!" Lyra encouraged the crowd.

Lily and Benjamin more or less ignored each other as they chatted with the other Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor in their group.

"So do you know that girl?" The Gryffindor asked Lily, nodding his head toward Lyra.

She laughed, "Yeah, she's my twin sister."

"Really?" He asked curiously, turning and looking from Lyra then back to Lily, "One, how are you in different houses? Two, why do you look nothing alike?"

Lily shrugged, "We're totally different personalities. I don't know why. She jokes it's cuz she ate half of my personality in the womb."

The Gryffindor boy seemed put off by this, but Benjamin snickered beside her. The Gryffindor looked at him curiously then looked back at Lily, "I'm Hugh."

"Lily," She said softly, fidgeting with the glass of butterbeer still in her hands.

"Oh, are we doing proper introductions now?" The Ravenclaw girl said sarcastically, "I'm Holly."

"Benjamin," He chimed in softly beside her.

Holly glanced up at him and smiled, "You're cute Benjamin. I like your freckles."

He bowed his head, averting his gaze as his ears turned red. Holly laughed at this, "Oh, so humble. Humble Huffle, I love it."

Lyra heard this and bristled from across the room. The plan was slowly falling to pieces. Why was someone else flirting with Ben? _That trollop_ , Lyra thought unfairly. She glanced at her sister from across the room and noticed her looking more and more nettled the more Benjamin and the Ravenclaw talked. Perhaps this was a good thing. Maybe Lily needed to be made a bit jealous first. But then she turned and chatted to the Gryffindor boy. Lyra had to resist the urge to groan. She clearly had not manipulated the situation enough.

"How much longer does Pearl have in there?" Lily asked Holly, referring to the sixth year Hufflepuff that had left in the beginning with Holly's classmate.

Holly glanced down at her watch, "Another minute, looks like. I hope your girl is going easy on mine. Esme is really sensitive."

Hugh stared at Holly in surprise. She groaned and smacked his arm lightly, "God, get your head out of the gutter, not like that. _Emotionally_ sensitive you dolt."

The group couldn't help but collectively snicker.

"Time's up," Benjamin declared a minute later, "Who wants to go separate them?"

"I'll do it," Holly said, jumping to her feet and heading over to the door just behind them. The rest of them watched on curiously, wondering what sort of state the girls would be in. Holly yanked the door open and the girls looked up calmly at her from inside. They appeared to walk out the same as they had walked in, although Esme's hair was pulled back into a ponytail now.

"What, you guys didn't do anything?" Holly teased.

"Who's to say?" The Hufflepuff shrugged. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"Feel free to keep playing and get a few more makeout sessions or come mingle and watch the rest of these saps pair off," Lyra shouted to the crowd.

"Yeah that sounds good," Esme said with a grin, turning to Pearl, "Wanna go wander around a bit?"

Pearl took her hand and agreed before moving across the room to tease their friends. Holly rejoined the circle afterwards, "Well, I think it's safe to say they hit it off in there. Who's next to spin?"

"Well, Lily was sitting beside Pearl, so she should go," Hugh said.

"But I was sitting next to Esme, so that logic doesn't work," Holly reasoned.

"Then rock, paper, scissors for it," Benjamin said.

The girls agreed. Lily beat Holly, but as soon as she did she realized she hadn't wanted to. Suddenly anxious, she put her hand on the bottle and tried to spin it, but it slipped wildly away from her and rolled out of their circle.

" _Accio_ ," Benjamin murmured, summoning it back to her. He smiled sympathetically at her. She felt slightly reassured but somehow more anxious than ever at the same time. She cleared her throat and got a grip long enough to give the bottle a true spin. The amber glass spun quickly in a mesmerizing circle. Lily felt as if she was falling into a trance. Her heart was racing and she didn't know what she wanted. What would be worse? The blunt Gryffindor boy, the smart ass Ravenclaw, or her old friend? She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Lyra had barely noticed in time that it was her sister's turn. From across the room, she cast a charm on the bottle. It jerked slightly as it was slowing down. It spun one last time before pointing at Benjamin. Lyra sighed with relief. Nobody had noticed this little twitch. Nobody suspected that Lyra was behind the entire thing. She was a little too proud of how well she was getting away with this.

Lily and Ben both hesitated to look at each other, but their blushes were extremely apparent to their counterparts.

Holly laughed, "Well, Benjamin? You have to consent or pass."

Ben looked like he was boiling under his skin. He opened his mouth, but only made a slight choking sound. Lyra rolled her eyes from across the room. She should have slipped a calming draught in his butterbeer. Finally, he turned and looked at Lily who had been waiting expectantly for him to say something. Lyra detected even from afar that look of steely resolution she had spotted earlier on his face. He was making direct eye contact with Lily for the first time since they had really gotten there and he seemed calmer for it.

He nodded, "Yeah, I consent. If you do too, that is."

Lily felt her face burn. She slowly nodded, but couldn't find the nerve to speak just yet. Benjamin stood and offered his hand to her. She took it and was helped to her feet. She couldn't help but notice how warm his hand was and that it was a bit sweaty. She wondered, frantically, if he was as panicked as she was.

Holly turned and whispered something to Hugh as they approached the closet. Without either Benjamin or Lily knowing, their other two teammates left them to join another group.

The room was less a closet and more an empty broom cupboard. There was effectively no light as they shut the door behind them. Lily felt her hand along the wall and turned only to immediately bump right into Benjamin's chest.

"I'm sorry, I can't see a damn thing," Lily quickly apologized.

Ben laughed gently, his hands finding her small shoulders in the dark, "It's okay, I got you. Let's see. There's your shoulders and arms, there's your hair," He narrated as his hands ran into the strands falling over her shoulders. He blindly pushed her hair off her shoulders onto her back, his hand moving gently up her neck and tucking it behind her ear. She could hear her own breathing and it seemed painfully loud. She could tell just how close he was from the warmth he emitted. His hand moved to her jaw and tipped her chin up slightly. He knew he couldn't have done this if not for being in the total darkness and for circumstances pushing them together.

Lily forgot how to think, forgot how to feel anything at all but her heart pulsating in her chest. She could feel him move and before she knew it his lips were on hers. After a moment, she felt odd with her hands at her side and cautiously reached out toward him, letting a hand rest on his shoulder for balance.

Naturally, her mind only allowed her a few moments peace before it kicked in with its nasty logic. This was her friend. They had known each other all these years. They had stayed up so many nights studying together. He wasn't kissing her like she would have expected. This seemed so much more intentional, as if he had thought of this happening before. She didn't know shit about kissing, but she did know something about human nature. The way he held onto her, the way he pulled her closer after a moment. No, this was definitely more. She forced herself away from him after just a minute had passed. They both caught their breath for a moment before Lily whispered in the darkness, "Benjamin…"

"Too much?"

"No, it's not that."

"Oh. What's wrong then?"

"Do you… like me?"

Her eyes started to adapt to the darkness and pick up on his presence in front of her. She finally began to see him and it felt like the first time all over again. She could finally see the tortured expression on his face, the way his eyes said one thing and his face said another. He seemed so conflicted. He was scratching at the back of his neck, something he only did when he was really anxious. She had seen him do it so many times. She smiled gently and spoke before he could articulate a reply, "You do like me."

He sighed in defeat, "Yeah. I have for a while. I just … I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want you to think I didn't see you as a friend first."

Lily, still standing quite close to him, rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him fondly as she whispered, "You're a good man."

"I am?"

"You were more concerned with how I would react than with how you felt. Tell me, if this hadn't happened, if my stupid sister hadn't thrown this weird party, would you have ever asked me out?" She asked not unkindly.

He glanced away shyly, "I would have really wanted to … but I probably wouldn't have been able to bring myself to do it."

"We've both been too shy then. I can't believe it took me so long to notice how good you've been to me over the years. How many times did the other prefect catch you trying to sneak up into the girls dorms to check on me after my grandpa died?"

He looked away, "Eight times. I was worried you were hiding on purpose. I know how you get when things are hard. I didn't want you to be in danger. But, it helped knowing you were seeing your sister and Rose."

"You knew about that?"

"Of course. I was usually in the common room when you would leave, you just didn't notice."

"I've been ignoring you for too long," Lily admitted. "I don't think I'll be able to ignore you anymore."

"Yeah?"

She nodded slightly before leaning back in and kissing him again, her arms wrapping around him tight. The first kiss had been one of nervous tenderness, this was something far more deliberate and purposeful. A renewed energy and excitement filled them both.

Lyra had been occasionally checking her watch as the party goers slowly dispersed. People were either pairing off or they were enjoying the music again and getting drunker by the minute. The party had to come to an end soon. Lily had already been in that closet for ten minutes, but she wasn't going to break them up if they weren't ready. Eventually they would have to notice that time was passing and let themselves out. Lyra started to order people to leave in clusters to avoid getting caught.

Meanwhile, Lily and Benjamin certainly were losing track of time. Lily's hands wandered, making Benjamin jump in panic. She quickly apologized but he shook his head, "No, it's fine. Trust me, I would love it, but what if they open the door?"

Lily caught her breath and withdrew her wand from her pocket, " _Lumos._ " Both of them cringed at the glowing light but she glanced at her watch as her eyes adjusted. "Well, Esme and Pearl got out at like 11:15 and it's 11:40."

"What the hell?" Benjamin said, peering down at her watch in disbelief.

"Those assholes probably didn't bother timing us and left."

"Probably," Benjamin said, "We should get out of here before your sister freaks."

"Oh, please, she'll be thrilled, not mad." Lily assured him as they left the closet.

"I doubt that very much," Benjamin replied.

The room was mostly empty by now. A few stragglers were being escorted out by Rose. Lyra stood facing them a few meters away. As she approached, Benjamin paled. She walked straight toward Benjamin, who began to profusely apologize before Lyra held up her hand to silence him, her face still as stone.

But her hand remained there, palm facing him. She slowly began to grin, "C'mon good old boy, put 'er there!" She said, badly imitating an American accent.

Benjamin cautiously high fived her.

"You owe me, _big_ time," Lyra cackled toward her twin.

"Whatever," Lily sighed, not understanding all her sister had done. Lyra smiled to herself as she lead them out of the room, deciding she would tell them about her plan when the moment was right.


	29. Textbooks & Broomsticks

Fall 2025

Caelum glanced up as his older brother approached his table, rubbing his eyes as he sat down across from Caelum. His hair was an unmitigated disaster and his robes were rumpled as if he had slept in them, though Caelum knew he just hadn't cleaned them properly yet. A few years back, in an effort to reduce the insane workload of the house elves in the castle, Minerva had instructed Flitwick to teach cleaning charms to the students starting their second year. It had proved a wild success at giving relief to the house elves, but had also proven which students were highly responsible and which ones were not. James was clearly the latter. Harry had a hard time not doing it for him whenever he walked into class, and Draco was always nagging him about it whenever he happened to see him in the halls.

Like most fourteen-going-on-fifteen year old boys, James was going through some growing pains. He struggled with getting out of bed every morning. He had tried manipulating his schedule so that he wouldn't have a morning class, but Neville, head of Gryffindor house, wouldn't allow it. Which is why, most mornings, James walked into the Great Hall looking a complete mess. Caelum watched silently as his brother groped across the table for a piece of toast, accidentally sticking his hand in a bowl of sugar instead and spilling it everywhere without noticing.

Caelum quietly charmed the sugar back into the bowl. After a moment, he cleared his throat. James, who had just stuffed some toast in his gob, jumped slightly in his surprise. His baggy eyes jumped slightly and he made a crazed expression as he looked across the table at his brother. He looked around curiously and attempted to speak through the toast in his mouth.

"Nobody can understand you," Caelum said.

James swallowed the bits of food before repeating in plain English, "Why am I sitting with you? Where's my friends?"

"I don't know. You're the one that sat down."

James turned and looked around at the four tables that formed a square in the Great Hall. It was so much harder to find his Gryffindor friends without the tables being sorted by house. Finally, he spotted Clarence and Arnold, jabbering away over bowls of Cheeri Owls. He groaned. He didn't want to get back up again. He turned back to his toast, resigning himself to spending the morning without his friends. He would see them in their next class anyway, after all.

"Don't forget, you're trying out for Quidditch this afternoon," Caelum reminded his brother calmly just as owls began to dive into the Great Hall.

"Oh fuck," James groaned, "I forgot about that. I'm going to fuck it up, I just know it. Just like I did last year."

Caelum ignored his brother temporarily to catch his copy of the Daily Prophet as it fell out of the sky. He unbound the paper as he reassured James, "You'll be okay. Go to Hannah, ask for a bit of Pepperup potion. That'll set you right."

"Or maybe I can ask Sluggy if he's got any spare Felix Felicis…"

"Illegal."

"Oh don't be such a buzzkill," James retorted. "Anything good in the paper today?"

"Some new legislation Auntie's been working on has been rejected. Op-eds speculate she's going to make a bid for Minister now that Shacklebolt will be stepping down," Caelum said casually between sips of pumpkin juice.

"As if."

"She could do it y'know. She's not called the brightest witch without reason, and Rose is graduated and already working in the Department for the Welfare of Magical Beings with her and the Scamanders. So if she left the Department at least she knows it would be in good hands. Not to mention Hugo's graduating this year. She's basically got nothing to lose."

"Huh, guess I hadn't thought of it like that."

"James, I doubt you think much about anything but Quidditch and DADA classes."

"Speaking of which, _how the hell am I going to get on the team_?!"

Caelum folded his newspaper shut and crossed his arms. With their dispositions, one might have assumed Caelum was the older of the two, but James being a solid foot taller than him proved otherwise.

"What did I tell you last time?"

"Damn, Caelum, I don't remember, it was a year ago."

"Fine, I'll remind you. You have been playing games with Lyra and our cousins for years. Both of our fathers were excellent Quidditch players, and your namesake was a phenomenal chaser. You can do it. What position is open this year?"

"Just one. Chaser, actually."

"You're going to do brilliantly then. You were always best when you were chaser on Team Weasley."

"But I want to be a seeker. Or a keeper. Or a beater! Anything but chaser. They've got the most boring job. Besides what does it say if the only Quidditch position I'm any good at is the easiest one?"

"Easiest one? What are you talking about? Chasers are constantly getting attacked by bludgers. They have to work more collaboratively to get goals and ultimately it's chasers that can win or lose a game. Can't have a game without the points, and that's all chasers do is win points. It's perfect for you, James. You work best in teams, not alone looking for a snitch, protecting a goal, or looking for a bludger."

James sighed heavily before squaring his shoulders and pushing his messy hair back, "Okay. I got this."

"But first," Caelum interrupted, "You've got Transfiguration."

James groaned but relented as he stood up, "Where are you headed then?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," Caelum said hesitantly.

James grinned, "Say hi to Hagrid for me and try not to pass out again."

"I didn't —!"

"I know, I know," James teased, "You 'tripped and fell with your eyes shut' when the erumpent came at you the first week of classes."

Caelum grabbed a couple rolls from the table and threw one at his brother who laughed as his baby brother ran off to class.

…

Caelum, as usual, was the first to arrive to Care of Magical Creatures at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was tossing a dead ferret from a bucket of meat to his pet hippogriff when Caelum approached. Buckbeak watched Caelum while he crunched through the bones and flesh of the dead animal in his beak. Caelum couldn't help but flinch slightly.

Hagrid turned around and beamed when he saw the young Ravenclaw, "Good morning, lad. Wanna come say 'ello?"

"To him?" Caelum asked anxiously, pointing at Buckbeak.

"Yeh, why not? Yer dad comes by once and awhile to visit him, y'know," Hagrid's grin was barely visible through his beard but the delight in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Why?"

"Good ol' friends, those two are. I never did tell you the story of when yer dad met Buckbeak did I? Both yer dads are in that one, actually," Hagrid chortled.

"Maybe another time professor," Caelum declined politely as he noticed the other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs coming down from the castle.

"Ah, yer right. Always the studious one, aren't ye?" Hagrid chuckled before greeting the incoming third year students. He was very fond of Caelum. He had gotten along just fine with Harry's other kids, but he had a special love for the boy who shared his name, even if it was just a middle name. Hagrid had been inviting Caelum once a month for tea at his hut since his first year. He had been delighted when Caelum had signed up to take Care of Magical Creatures with him that year and had done his best to impress the boy, although it had mostly failed and only terrified him. The erumpent might not have been the best creature to show a brand new class.

In all fairness, the creature had mistaken Caelum's odd behavior that day as a strange mating dance. He had simply been shuffling along the ground watching footprints appearing in the dirt from seemingly nowhere. He had been unaware that his back was to the erumpent, as he had completely ignored what Hagrid was talking about, too fascinated by the strange creature that appeared to be invisible. That was when he had heard the sound of hooves and felt the earth tremble and turned around in time to see a massive horned creature coming toward him. Indeed, Caelum fainted in fright just as the erumpent hit the magic, invisible barrier that Flitwick had set up just for the beast.

Hagrid had been discussing the event with Flitwick the following day in the staff lounge when Harry had wandered in and was told the whole story. He had nearly split his side with laughter and proceeded to go back to his office just to tell his husband the story as well. Luckily, they got their laughs out then and not when Caelum later told them the story himself.

Hagrid clapped his massive hands together as the rest of class congregated in front of the forest, "Righ' then! I gotta real treat fer ye today. Follow me."

Caelum followed close behind Hagrid. His friend, Neil, catching up with him and tagging along beside him. They had met the first week of first year, both nervous Ravenclaw boys. After an incident involving them getting locked out of the Ravenclaw tower, the two became friends. Neil never really left Caelum's side, which was precisely why Caelum was surprised to see him.

"I thought you must've been in the hospital wing," Caelum said when his friend appeared next to him, "I didn't see you in the common room this morning, much less the Great Hall."

"Oh, I woke up early and headed over to the owlery. I thought I hadn't been up there that long but when I came down I saw everyone headed down to the forest and barely caught up," Neil explained as his stomach growled. He blushed and apologized for the disruptive noise.

Caelum pulled a roll out from his robe and handed it to Neil who accepted it unceremoniously by shoving it in his face with a muffled 'thank you'. Caelum just smiled.

It seemed to take forever for them to reach their destination in the woods. They had gone so deep that the sunlight didn't break through the canopy above. Hagrid had reminded the students to stay quiet, lest they bother the temperamental centaurs that only begrudgingly allowed them to enter their territory. Finally, one of the Hufflepuffs gasped in surprise as they entered a small clearing. Most of the students looked about frantically, wondering what the Hufflepuff had been so startled by, but there was nothing to see.

Hagrid looked sadly toward the young girl who was slowly approaching the baby thestral in front of her, "Careful there, you want to approach them slowly and calmly. Thestrals aren't harmful creatures, just misunderstood."

"Professor?" Caelum asked, "What's she approaching?"

"That would be a pack of thestrals, Caelum. Class, pay close attention," Hagrid said as he reached for a slab of meat in his bucket. He threw it into the clearing and the class gasped in shock and awe as it seemed to stop in midair and slowly vanish from sight. "Thestrals are invisible to anyone who hasn' seen death. Which is why most of ye can't see 'em. Yer the first generation in awhile tha' hasn' known death."

A sobering hush fell over the class. The third years shifted their feet and looked down at the forest floor uncomfortably, feeling a mix of shame and pity. Shame for forgetting how much death their parents had witnessed during the war, and pity for the one girl who had somehow already seen death.

"Look 'ere, no need to fret. C'mere, I'll introduce you to 'em," Hagrid encouraged, attempting to lift their spirits, "Caelum, why don't you come up?"

He hesitated but was pushed forward by Neil. He slowly walked toward Hagrid, his eyes wandering across the empty clearing. He glanced down and spotted the small hoofprints in the dirt and realized that this is what he had seen when the erumpent had gone wild. He watched the hoofprints approach and stand still beside Hagrid.

"Gimme yer hand," Hagrid asked gently, holding out his own massive hand. Caelum hesitated momentarily before letting Hagrid gently guide his hand forward until it rested against something leathery. Caelum's eyes widened and he couldn't help but grin. The creature he couldn't see was very real to his touch. The thestral nuzzled against his hand. Both the creature and the boy squeaked slightly, one in surprise and the other in delight. The crowd of students awed in envy.

"Don't worry, ye'll each get a turn," Hagrid chuckled to his captive audience.

The rest of the class slowly filed in and was introduced to the pack of thestrals as Hagrid explained that these ones were far friendlier than wild ones because they had been at Hogwarts for so long. Students flipped through their copies of _Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them_ to find images to help them better understand what they were feeling without seeing. With immense precaution, Hagrid helped the students feed each thestral. From deep within the forest, nobody heard the next class bell ring through the grounds. It was only when one of the students happened to check their watch that they noticed that second period had already begun. Hagrid quickly dismissed the students and sent a note with each of them excusing their tardiness.

Neil and Caelum grabbed their bags and rushed out of the woods, resisting the urge to talk to avoid the wrath of the centaurs. When they finally reached the castle, they were extremely winded. Fortunately, their next class was Potions in the dungeon with Slughorn. They practically fell down the stairs on their tired limbs before bursting through the door, a few more Ravenclaws in their year trailing behind them.

Slughorn turned from where he had been lecturing his class of Gryffindor students and raised a very white, very wispy eyebrow toward the incoming students, "What on earth would keep a group of Ravenclaws from getting to class on time I wonder?"

All of the students held up their notes and Caelum panted out, "Hagrid."

Slughorn nodded in understanding, accepting their slips of parchment before they paired off to their cauldrons. Caelum slumped onto his stool beside Neil, leaning so far down on the table his head was practically lying in his arms. This was his least favorite class of the day. He actually quite liked the study of potions and conceptually did brilliantly. Somehow Slughorn still hadn't begun to question how someone could write every essay on potions perfectly and yet continuously fail to brew an adequate potion.

That day was no exception. As usual, despite his best efforts, the Confusing concoction that they were supposed to be brewing failed miserably. Not only was it an incorrect color, but it smelled like rotten eggs. Rather than subject them to sampling it, Slughorn simply cleaned out the cauldron at the end of class and asked Caelum and Neil to write up an essay to explain what they had done wrong that had botched the potion.

"What a shame," Slughorn sighed with a sad smile toward Caelum, "I really hoped you might have had your father's knack for potions. Or even your sister's. So much potential, and a Ravenclaw to boot. Alas, we all have our specialities and challenges."

Caelum looked away and didn't speak.

Slughorn nodded to himself as he started to move away, "Best hurry, don't want to be late to your next class as well."

Caelum took this opportunity to flee the room, heading up the stairs to the main floor where Neil had been waiting. He easily recognized the stress in his friend's expression.

"Sluggy tell you he wished you were as good as your dad again?"

"Yep," Caelum rolled his eyes. "It's really getting old. He added Lyra in for good measure this time."

"If you had a sickle for every time he said something like that since you started school ... well, let's just say you wouldn't have to worry about borrowing your dad's pocket change to buy chocolate frogs in Diagon Alley."

Caelum snickered at this. Neil was just happy to see him smiling again, even if it was only for a brief moment before they jumped into their Transfiguration class.

...

After classes had been dismissed for the day, Harry headed up to his office. Draco was off in London attending to some business at St. Mungo's, as he usually was during the school days. Most nights, Draco would pay the Hogwarts house elves for a dinner and take it up to Harry's office so they could eat together away from all the students. This was also when their kids would often bombard them with the news of the day. Once in a while, they would get an unannounced visit from their daughters, but word from them had been sparse since they had graduated a year ago. Lyra was the most likely to reach out, usually due to sheer boredom from working a dull day with Freddie and George at the shop. Lily, a healer now herself, usually talked to Draco at St. Mungo's when they happened to run into each other, but it was strictly for business.

Harry had simply wanted to change out of his robes into something more comfortable. The back door to his office lead to his and his husband's small flat. It was another impressive use of the extendable charm, and one of his favorites. It was a cozy, warm environment he had grown quite fond of during the last few years of working as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He had been in the midst of changing when an owl tapped at the window. Still half naked, he let it in and received the letter attached to it. Draco was held up at work, nothing to worry about, but no reason to wait for him either. Harry thanked the owl and let him out the window again before pulling on his wooly sweater that Mrs. Weasley had knit him some years ago. Maybe he would finally take Slughorn up on his offer to grab a butterbeer after dinner?

He decided as he headed down the last flight of stairs toward the Great Hall that that was precisely what he would do, but he had this nagging sense that he was forgetting something. But try as he might, he could not come up with what it might be. He had graded yesterday's papers, he had taught all his lessons, and he didn't need to prep for the practical O.W.L. or N.E.W.T exams for some time yet. Just as he was starting to assume it was nothing, a flash of red buzzed by him and shouted, "Wish me luck dad!"

He blinked and realized his eldest son had flown past him in a Quidditch sweater, broom in hand as he rushed out the front doors of the castle.

"Good luck!" Harry called out at the last minute, finally remembering that his son was trying out for the team again. It had been a topic of discussion for some time between him and Minerva, who he met with on a regular basis for both academic and personal reasons. They were both confused as to why James had not made the team yet. Neville had joined such conversations more than once, emphasizing he could not have any influence on who his house chose for the team, but offering his theories as to why James was struggling. For awhile, the operating theory of the group was that it was too much pressure of his lineage. But, after last year, they concluded it was that he was not trying for the right role on the team. The year previous he had attempted seeker and had insisted his whole family attend the tryouts to see how well he did. Naturally, he was an immense embarrassment and had insisted nobody attend his tryout this year.

Harry continued into the Great Hall. He glanced around the room, quickly spotting his blonde son who was engrossed in a conversation with his friend. Harry thought little of this and left his child alone, as he usually did, in favor for the food awaiting him at the staff table. He sat down beside Slughorn.

"Evening, Horace," Harry said politely as he filled his plate up.

Horace turned to Harry with a beaming smile, "Good evening Harry m'boy."

"I hardly think I qualify as a boy at forty five years old."

"Compared to my one hundred and fifteen, you might as well be a boy," Horace laughed wistfully.

"Are you sure? I could've sworn you weren't a day over eighty."

"What might Mr. Potter be flattering me for today? I would think you would be flattering Longbottom to let your son on the team. Tryouts are right now aren't they?"

"Yes, and James won't hear of anyone he knows witnessing it because he's afraid he'll botch it. Again. Besides, you know Neville is too noble to accept bribes or flattery."

Horace laughed, "That's very true. Alright Harry, let me ask for possibly the millionth time. Come on down with me to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer after this, eh? Maybe James will come back with reason to celebrate?"

Harry leaned back in his seat and glanced at his very old friend, "Alright, it's a deal. If James makes the team, I'll grab a butterbeer with you."

"Or, perhaps, even if he loses we can get a drink to forget about it?" Horace suggested with a playful nudge.

Harry couldn't help but smile, "Alright, in either case then."

It didn't take long for them to discover how the tryouts had gone, however. Just as they were leaving the castle to head down toward Hogsmeade, a little less than an hour later, a herd of students were running up from the Quidditch pitch. Harry and Horace slowed their pace, curious to find out what the results were. The red robes of the Gryffindor team fast approached them. Harry recognized quite a few faces among them, including his ex girlfriend's daughter Maddie and his friend's daughter Roxanne. The entire team was nothing but smiles and cheers. Even from the distance that Harry and Horace were at they could hear them cheering variations of "James scored a hundred! A hundred points for Gryffindor!"

Harry beamed with pride and watched as the team pulled James from their midst and propped him up on their shoulders as they entered the castle. It was not typical for tryouts to be this big of a deal, but everyone had been hoping for him to come out on top this time, including most of the team. Harry resisted the urge to run over and congratulate his child, instead deciding he could enunciate his pride later. Just as the crowd disappeared into the castle, he spotted a girl with bright blonde hair in a dark red sweater tailing the crowd of Quidditch players. Harry smiled to himself before turning back to Slughorn and continuing their descent down to Hogsmeade for a celebratory drink in honor of James' victory.

It was after Harry's second and Horace's third pint of butterbeer that Slughorn said, quite out of nowhere, "Y'know, Harry. I love your kids. They're brilliant. Especially that Lyra. I never thought she would be a potions master like you, y'know? I figured if she wasn't born from you, she couldn't inherit your skills. But she impressed me anyway. I was always so proud she was in my house. How's she doing anyway?"

"She's working with her boyfriend at George's shop down the road," Harry reminded him. Horace already knew this, but he was more liable to forgetfulness these days.

"Ah, that's right. What a shame. She could do so much more than that if she just found the right path. I'm surprised James and Caelum don't have her aptitude for the subject."

"What're you talking about?" Harry asked, perking up slightly. He hadn't heard of this.

Horace quickly backtracked, "Now don't get me wrong. James is doing great. He's gonna pass his O.W.L. just fine. He'll get into the N.E.W.T. level and be fine, but he's not a genius like you, your mother, or your daughter. Caelum, on the other hand … well, he's brilliant at the theory but he can't even make a cure for boils. It's very odd. Draco possessed an aptitude for potions, Caelum is his offspring. You would think, logically…"

"Horace," Harry said flatly, "They're all our children. None of them are more or less our children because of their DNA structures."

"Oh, I don't mean to offend."

"I know you don't," Harry sighed, "But you need to understand that skill is not necessarily inherited. Lyra isn't good at potions because she's my child. She's good at it because she likes it. Caelum has his own particular gifts. He's not half bad at Defense, and Filius is always complimenting his incredible charm work. What's it matter if Caelum isn't the best potion master there ever was?"

Horace frowned, "It wouldn't matter, but he's going to need a decent O.W.L in Potions if he wants to go into, well, most professions. At the rate he's going, he's not going to pass that O.W.L in a couple years. That's my only concern. I give his substitute assignments so he passes, but when those practical exams come up I worry he'll fail."

Harry nodded quietly but said nothing more. Shortly thereafter, the two walked back up to the castle together and parted ways, bidding each other a good night. Harry moved slowly up the stairs to his office. When he eventually opened his office door he was surprised to see that the door to his flat was open. His entire family was waiting within for him and looked up as he entered the office. James rocketed out of the flat's living room, past his father's desk, and barrelled into his dad's chest.

"I did it, dad!" James shouted, "I made the team! I'm a chaser like grandpa!"

Harry wrapped his arms around him, "I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it."

"For the record," Caelum called from the doorway to the flat, "I knew he could too!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lyra scoffed from out of Harry's sight in the flat, "We all did."

Harry let his son go and followed him into the flat, closing the door behind him. Everyone had been waiting for him to have a proper celebration for James' success. Lily had come home with Draco after a long shift at the hospital. Lily was still in her scrubs, Draco was still in his suit. Lyra had floo powdered over when Caelum had sent her word. It had been such a long time since they had all sat down together without the circumstance of a holiday. Tired from his walk and his drinks, Harry opted out of the usual games they played when they got together. Instead, he withdrew and pulled Caelum aside while the rest of the family played loudly.

Harry sat Caelum down at the couch in front of the fire. Caelum seemed a bit uneasy, sensing an impending lecture.

"How're you doing?" Harry asked gently.

Caelum frowned, "Shouldn't you be asking Lily and Lyra? They're not the ones you see every day."

"I'm asking you."

He shrugged, "I'm fine dad. You know that."

"Really? 'Cause I just had an interesting conversation with Horace."

Caelum's reaction was immediate. He groaned and leaned back into the couch, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad," Harry insisted, "I'm asking. You're going to tell me."

"Or what? You'll get him to dose me with veritaserum?"

"Don't be so dramatic, that's a Lyra move. No, I just expect honesty from you, and you already knew that."

Caelum was silent for a few minutes, but Harry waited it out. Finally, Caelum caved, "Okay, I suck at potions. It's hard to not suck when you feel like your professor is constantly questioning why you aren't like your parents."

Harry had suspected as much but didn't say anything initially. His silence made Caelum uncomfortable enough to keep talking.

"It's just — I'm not you. Or dad, or grandpa, or grandma, or the Weasleys. I'm just me. At first it was just the pressure of trying to be like you guys that made me so nervous that I would mess the potions up. Now it's sort of evolved into constantly feeling like he expects nothing from me, so I don't even try as hard. But the thing is, I actually can do all of this. I know the theory, I could definitely brew something on my own if he wasn't around."

Harry hummed in thought for a moment before exchanging a look with his son, "I think I might have a possible solution. But it'll have to wait."

"Why do you have to be so mysterious?" Caelum grumbled.

"Because, I'm the mysterious Harry Potter. That's my thing."

"God dad, shut up, you're so embarrassing," Caelum whined before getting up to go and join the card game before his dad could say anything else.

...

By the time of the first Quidditch match, James felt thoroughly prepared. He had been a bit afraid that his success at the tryouts had been a fluke, and that he would go back to sucking during practices. But to his surprise, he had pulled through in practice and performed well. It helped that the other two chasers were his cousin Rox and his best friend Arnold who had made the team two years ago and had been anxious to play with James officially.

Despite the fact that it was his first official match, James was weirdly calm that morning. Unlike their captain, Juliet, a seventh year, he was perfectly calm and able to get through breakfast without issue. Juliet was intense as ever, drilling them throughout the morning on their strategies.

"Remember, don't flinch away from the bludgers. Let Jack and Noah take care of them," Juliet instructed her chasers.

"We know," Arnold said calmly.

"Oh, and don't forget the drop strategy. That'll be key, but save it for when you really need it. It works best if nobody sees it coming, so save it."

Rox stifled a complaint, "Yep. Got it."

"Good. And Maddie, don't forget to keep your eye on the quaffle at all times."

Maddie Boot-Weasley, their keeper, didn't say anything as she spread some butter across a slice of toast.

"Okay, I'm going to go practice in the common room with the snitch a bit more. Be down on the pitch in an hour, got it?" Juliet advised.

"Yes, Juliet, we all know what time the game is," Maddie gripped the butter knife a bit too tightly as she spoke. As Juliet left the Great Hall, James carefully reached forward and slipped the butter knife out of Maddie's hands.

"Please try not to kill anyone today," James muttered.

"I'll just take my rage out on Slytherin, it'll be fine," Maddie dismissed his concern, "This happens every game. She annoys the shit out of me, but it makes me play better."

"Seems a little dangerous to use anger as fuel, but okay. Whatever works."

"How are you so calm before your first game?" Maddie asked.

"No idea," James smiled, his eyes wandering down the table, "No reason." Maddie went on to complain some more about how demanding and obsessive Juliet could be and how she wouldn't be like that next year when she became Captain ("Not that it's official or anything, but c'mon, let's be real"), but James didn't hear her. He was too busy staring at Sophie Finnigan. The sunlight coming in through the Great Hall's windows happened to hit her just right, making her blonde hair practically glow. She was talking to her friends amicably, a half smile on her face the whole time. James was a man entranced. Maddie wasn't even aware that he wasn't listening to a word she was saying until she asked him a question and he didn't respond.

Maddie frowned and snapped her fingers in front of his face, "What's your problem?"

"Oh, nothing," He quickly lied, turning his attention back to her, "Spacing out. What'd you say?"

Maddie turned and looked where his gaze had been fixed a moment before. She turned back to James with a bit of a scowl, "Really? Ogling girls?"

"No, just one girl," James admitted shyly.

Maddie smiled sympathetically, "Sophie?"

"Yeah."

"I can't say I blame you. She _is_ gorgeous. But hopefully you like her more than just for her looks. I don't want to be related to anyone who's that vain."

"We aren't related. If we were it would be weird that Lyra and Freddie are dating," James pointed out for the millionth time in his life. "And, yes, there are other things I like about her. She's always been nice to me, even though I accidentally set her hair on fire in first year potions." Maddie snorted with laughter. James shushed her before continuing, "And she's brilliant. I've seen the books she reads in the common room, they're not just textbooks. She reads all these muggle books about dead rock stars and famous politicians around the world. Maddie, she even likes the Buzzcocks. You know how much I love them."

"Everyone in Gryffindor tower knows," Maddie rolled her eyes.

"She's … perfect," James concluded with a wistful sigh, not daring to look her way.

Maddie shrugged, "Nobody's perfect. Listen, we need to focus during the game today. If I catch you getting distracted by her in the crowd I will personally jinx you out of the sky."

James sobered up quickly, "Aye aye captain."

She laughed so hard she almost spit out her toast.

...

The game had been going for some time; it was an even match that was getting increasingly annoying. Juliet and the Slytherin seeker hadn't had any luck in finding the snitch yet, so James and the other chasers were doing a relentless job of getting in goals. It seemed for every masterful goal that Gryffindor made, Slytherin managed the same a few minutes later. Juliet was getting more and more agitated. She seemed to jump at every movement.

Roxanne had been incredible, scoring ten of their fifteen goals so far. James had scored a few himself, but mostly had assisted Rox by shocking a Slytherin chaser by charging at them so that they dropped the quaffle right into her hands below. Such stunts terrified his family watching in the stands. With the score at an exact tie, and the end nowhere in sight, Rox and James had pulled off the same move for the third time in the game. They ignored the sound of a Slytherin beater berating their easily startled chaser. In doing so, the beater missed an opportunity to send a bludger Roxanne's way. Jack, the Gryffindor beater, smacked a bludger toward the hoop that the Slytherin keeper was hovering in front of. The metal pole shook so violently and vibrated so loudly that the keeper was momentarily stunned.

James watched with a grin as she approached an empty goal post. They were going to make another score. That's when her broom jerked so suddenly to the left that the force made her drop the quaffle. Too surprised to react immediately, James remained frozen as the Slytherin chaser swooped down and caught the loose quaffle. James watched in shock as her broom flew right out of the pitch over the grounds, her screams carrying through the air.

Clarence, who despite his love of Quidditch, was awful at flying, was narrating the entire game and announced with shock over the intercom, "Roxanne Weasley is out of the pitch! Blimey, I think the Slytherin beater's jinxed her broom."

James turned to see the Slytherin beater who had just been yelling at his chaser pocketing his wand with a snarl. The Slytherin chaser made a score while Maddie had been looking away, watching in horror as Roxanne flew out of bounds.

"As you all know," Clarence added, "This means that Roxanne is out of the game. Any player that leaves the pitch is forfeiting their ability to play the game."

Roxanne's broom was still rocketing further and further. Most of the crowd had turned to watch, but a few teachers had disappeared from their stands. Finally, it dawned on everyone else where her broom was headed.

"MERLIN'S BEARD SHE'S GOING STRAIGHT FOR THE WHOMPING WILLOW!" Clarence screamed.

James, without thinking, leaned forward and forced his broom to speed up as quick as possible. He soared easily over the crowds and out of the pitch, ignoring Clarence's announcement that he was out of the game. He only knew that Rox was in danger. She was his teammate, his friend, his classmate, and like family to him. Luckily, her broom was an older one that they had had to borrow from the storage after her usual broom had snapped during practice.

"I'm coming, Rox!" He hollered through the wind as he neared her.

But the broom was already getting dangerously close to the Whomping Willow, he wasn't going to make it in time. Rox judged this and jumped from her broom at the last second before it went headlong into the branches of the tree.

James pulled out his wand as fast as he could, but she had already crashed to the ground below by the time he had gotten close enough to cast a spell. By which time the many arms of the Willow had already decimated her broom and were aiming for her on the ground.

" _Protego_!" James shouted as he neared, managing to protect Roxanne from an impending blow from the tree. He managed to protect her once more before Harry, Neville, Draco, and George appeared and managed to all cast the same spell to freeze the tree. James touched down near the group just as George rushed to his daughter's side. He rarely came out for matches, but he always tried to make the first game of the season.

George held his daughter gently, "Roxie girl? You okay?"

Roxanne was clearly trying to hold it together and put on a brave face for her father, but it wasn't convincing anybody since her leg was visibly twisted in an unnatural manner. She smiled up at her dad, "I'll be okay dad."

He smiled gently, "I know baby girl, I know." He looked up at Neville, "Hannah can set her right, can't she?" Neville assured she could. The two slowly helped her up on her good leg and balanced her between their shoulders as they brought her up to the castle.

Harry reached his son and put and arm around his shoulders as they watched them leave.

"Is she going to be okay dad?" James asked Draco, who looked apprehensive.

Draco didn't hold James' gaze for long, "Yes… but it's not an easy fix when the bone is that bent out of shape. She'll be out at least one or two matches."

James sighed and glanced at the pitch, "Let me guess, we lost the game?"

"When we left it sounded like the Slytherin seeker had found the snitch," Harry clarified.

James hid his face in his hands, letting his broom fall to his side.

"I know. I know. But you did the right thing. I'm proud of you, James," Harry said.

James couldn't muster up a reply. He knew he had done the right thing, but it didn't make him feel any better for having lost the first game of the season. Dejected, he picked his broom up and headed back up to the castle where he intended to do nothing but lie in bed for the rest of the day, bemoaning his awful luck.


	30. Victory

Spring 2026

Christmas at the Potter-Malfoy household had been bigger than ever that year, which had made it all the harder for the family to return to Hogwarts. The additions of Freddie and Benjamin to the Christmas party had proved a much needed change. For Caelum and James it meant even more presents, mostly in the form of Weasley products. But still, school was waiting for them and it was getting harder than ever.

James, due to his team's struggles in Quidditch, was barely maintaining his grades and in dire need of help for his O.W.L exams. He had gone so far as to seek tutoring lessons from various students in the school and had even sent an owl to his Aunt Hermione, which he had immediately regretted. He had barely read her ten page letter on tips and advice before throwing it in the common room fireplace. He loved her, but he couldn't understand a word she was saying when she got so academic.

After the embarrassing defeat to Slytherin, the Gryffindor Quidditch team had not made any significant come back. Worse, after their second game with a narrow defeat to Ravenclaw, Arnold was put in detention for letting Professor Bones' possums free in the castle. James was now the only original chaser left on the team. Each practice they had after their second game had been fraught with misery. The replacement chasers were inexperienced third years who barely knew how to handle a broom, let alone coordinate with a team. Rox had recovered well over the winter, but was still forbidden to play by both George and Hannah. George's concern was parental, but Hannah genuinely worried that one rogue bludger would break a mending bone and cause even more damage.

Caelum, meanwhile, was eager to find out what his dad was up to. He had mentioned helping him earlier in the year with his potions struggles, but had been mum about it all winter. Finally, after a Defense lesson in February, Caelum felt compelled to demand an answer.

"Dad," Caelum spoke up as he approached his father after the bell rang for lunch. He normally was courteous enough in class to call him Professor, but as soon as the bells went off, so did the formality.

"Yeah?"

"Remember before Christmas when you said that you might have a potential solution to my Potions problem?" Caelum started, "Did you forget about that or did you just never plan on telling me what that plan was."

Harry nodded, "No, I remember. It just needed some planning. Come up with me." Without waiting, Harry turned and walked up the stairs to his office, sitting behind the desk. Caelum sat down across from his father with an uneasy feeling that he was going to be lectured.

Harry hesitated a moment, observing his son before speaking, "I think the only way we can convince Professor Slughorn that you are a capable student is if you brewed your own potion outside of the classroom."

"But that's against school rules, you know that. Besides, I wouldn't have my own ingredients, and stealing them from the Potions master is definitely against the rules."

"I'm aware of all of this," Harry said plainly, "But I've tried to think of alternatives. Your father agrees with me as well, this is the only avenue for you to be successful. If you can prove you're capable of potion making without his supervision he might step back and learn to leave you be in class."

Caelum frowned, "You're saying you want to help me break a bunch of school rules so that I can get my grades up?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it."

Normally, Caelum wasn't one for rule breaking. That was what Lyra and James did, not him. He did what he was told to do and he did it perfectly. But if rule breaking was what needed to be done to make the subject not only more endurable for him but to help him in the long run academically…

"Alright," Caelum conceded, "Where do we start?"

...

It had not been easy to siphon ingredients away one by one from Slughorn's stores, but Harry had done it quite successfully. He managed to replace the majority of the ingredients so that they were never missed in the first place. Slughorn did not appear to notice. Harry was certain if he had sensed something was up he would have mentioned it to the rest of the staff at some point. While Harry was stealing the necessary components, the actual brewing was Caelum's task.

Following the sage advice of his rebel father, Caelum set up his cauldron in the second floor girl's bathroom. Caelum was already quite acquainted with Myrtle and the other ghosts. When in doubt, they made quite good companions and conversationalists. Myrtle never cried or threw a tantrum around Caelum, because, as she put it, "You're the only boy whose never said a mean word to me."

Sure enough, she kept her distance while he brewed his Calming Draught. It was a more advanced and complicated recipe, one that third years were not normally taught. But Caelum had done his fair share of reading on the particular potion and he was meticulous with his measurements and stirrings. After a month and a half of waiting for ingredients and painstakingly brewing away, the potion was complete. Caelum double and triple checked his advanced potion making book for the proper description of the potion. Indeed, his was exactly the right shade of pale gold. He quickly bottled the contents of his cauldron and ran off to the dungeons to find Professor Slughorn.

Despite it being late on a Saturday night, Slughorn answered when Caelum came knocking frantically at his office door.

"Caelum? It's very late, whatever is the matter?" Slughorn asked.

"I have something for you," Caelum said, panting slightly from running so fast.

Slughorn hesitated only briefly before letting the young Ravenclaw into his office, "Would you like anything? I'm afraid the only beverages I have are tonics and alcohol. Perhaps a pumpkin pasty?"

"No thanks, sir, this won't take long. I just wanted to give you something."

"Oh, and what might that be?" Horace asked a bit suspiciously.

Caelum retrieved the bottle from his robes and presented it to Slughorn, "It's a calming draught sir. I think you'll find that it's of perfect quality and condition."

Horace reached for the bottle and held it delicately. He glanced from the brew to the boy. For a moment, he said nothing and his face remained expressionless. Finally, he spoke, "You brewed this then?"

"Yes, sir."

"With what ingredients?"

"My father helped me with that."

"He nicked some from my stores did he?"

Caelum looked away shyly and nodded, "Yes."

"Well, I don't need a sample to know this is in fact a top notch batch. Am I to understand you broke several school rules in order to provide me a potion that is well beyond your academic level?" Slughorn asked slowly.

Caelum hesitated, "Y-yes. I wanted you to understand that I'm not the dunce you think I am with potions. I do understand what I'm doing, it's just been nearly impossible to live up to your expectations, sir. First year I was always dropping things and mixing up the instructions because I could tell you were watching me, waiting to see if I would prove to be as good as my family is at potions. But then when I continued to mess up, you seemed to give up on me. So I haven't felt the desire to try hard in class, because you never expect me to do anything good. But I can do this, and I can do it well."

Slughorn was quiet again for a long stretch, considering all that his pupil had said. The old wizard smiled slowly but surely with a sorrowful sigh, "Well. This is a remarkable piece of work. I'll expect nothing less of you in the future, but I'll do my best to not look for your heritage in you. You're your own man now, that much is clear to me. As for the rules…"

"Please don't tell McGonagall that my dad helped me. Take away all of my house points, I don't mind. Just don't get him in trouble," Caelum quickly butted in.

Horace laughed, "Dear boy, I'm not going to scold either of you. I'm impressed with your efforts, no matter how you came about them. Your fathers ought to be proud. You're a whip smart young man. I certainly wouldn't want to make enemies of you." Caelum practically glowed with pride. "Now, best you run along. I might be lenient, but I'm afraid Filch is less than sympathetic for students out after hours in the halls."

...

Spirits were low the day of the final match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The game would determine which Quidditch team came in last place. James wandered into the Great Hall that morning and sat with his younger brother instead of his friends again, though this time it was intentional. Instead of his usual drowsiness, James had an air of melancholy about him. When he went to pour himself a bowl of Cheeri Owls, the cereal poured out too quickly and got everywhere. James didn't even react. The fifth year just sighed, put the box back and ate the cereal piece by piece. It was a sad sight for anyone, but it was particularly hard for Caelum who had chosen to abstain from attending Ravenclaw matches out of loyalty to his brother.

"James," Caelum started cautiously, "If you go into the game with that kind of attitude you'll lose for sure. Studies show that perception can have a radical impact on our abilities, and self fulfilling prophecies may very well be a possibility."

"What's that mean?" James asked without looking up.

"It means that if you think you'll lose the match you probably will, because you have anticipated it you don't try as hard to win. So, if you want to win, you have to believe that you can first, that way you give it your all." Caelum wasn't sure if any of what he was saying was making sense. He didn't understand the appeal of traditional sports himself, and he was unsure of how to make a good pep talk.

"It's not like it even matters if we win, we'd only come in third place," James remarked.

Caelum felt a sudden burst of anger and spoke far louder than he meant to, "Since when has that ever stopped you? You never quit James, even when odds are stacked. Would you rather resign yourself to dead last, rolling over and playing dead? Or would you rather work your ass off to win this game?"

James jumped when his brother began shouting at him. He couldn't remember the last time his brother had raised his voice at him. He was amazed that his baby brother, who he had had to cheer up himself in the past, was now doing the same for him. It was amazing that Caelum had grown from an anxious child into a self-assured teenager.

"You're right," James finally agreed, "I'm gonna kill it out there."

"I know you can," Caelum insisted, "Now, you better go practice before the game."

"You're absolutely right," James jumped up and thanked his brother before striding out of the Great Hall and making his way back to the Gryffindor common room to find the young chasers on his team.

He approached the portrait of the Fat Lady who was having mid-morning tea with her portrait neighbor Violet like she did every day.

"Passwo-"

"Carpe diem."

The Fat Lady, despite being ruffled at being cut off, swung open her portrait to allow him entrance in the common room.

Naturally, as he entered the portrait nearly ran into Sophie Finnigan, but stopped himself short with a murmured apology.

"Morning, James," Sophie said cheerfully, "Good luck with the match this afternoon."

James blushed brightly and looked away, "It hasn't been our best season. You coming to the game at all?" He couldn't help but notice she had missed their last two matches. He wasn't about to tell her that he had noticed, but a part of him was worried that she had been so ashamed by their initial defeat to Slytherin she hadn't wanted to see them lose again.

"Of course. It's the final game, why wouldn't I go?"

"Because our track record is bad?"

Sophie shrugged, "I don't know, there's a good chance you'll make a comeback."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. You're the best player on the team, I know you've got this. Anyway, I'll see you later," Sophie said with a bright smile before heading out.

James felt practically overwhelmed with the sudden rush of confidence. He had to win now, there was no other option. He ran up to the boy's dormitory to find the third year chasers, but found the room empty. On his way back down to the common room he spotted Arnold.

"Hey, have you seen the other chasers? I was hoping to get in some last minute practice."

"You didn't hear?" Arnold asked with a puzzled expression. "I was looking for you at breakfast but I couldn't find you. I would have thought your dad would have told you by now."

"Tell me what? Spit it out then," James insisted.

Roxanne ran into the common room just then and rushed straight for them, hugging James so suddenly he nearly fell over.

"What on earth is going on?" James cried out as Rox let him go.

"We're back on the team!" Rox and Arnold shouted simultaneously.

"Bones let me off my detention. I think McGonagall may have something to do with it," Arnold explained.

"And Hannah cleared me to play. She said the bone's healed completely now. Dad insisted she be on standby at the game just in case, but who cares. I can play!"

"That's bloody brilliant!" James yelled eagerly before hugging his friends tight, "Let's get out there and warm up before we go and kick some Slytherin arse."

...

Sure enough, come game time, Slytherin could hardly keep up with the enthusiasm and renewed energy in the Gryffindor team. Their brooms seemed to fly faster and they were suddenly in top form. Slytherin had gone into the match expecting a very easy victory and had started off playing too simplistically for the over eager Gryffindors. The crowd was massive, and nearly everyone was rooting for Gryffindor as the underling to come out on top. Caelum sat with Neil, screaming as loud as most of the Gryffindor students. Even Draco, the die hard Slytherin supporter, was wearing red and gold that day and rooting his son on to victory.

During more than one highly stressful move, James felt doubt creep into his chest. When he would rush toward the Slytherin goals with the quaffle in his arm and a Slytherin beater would aim the bludger at him he was able to dodge, but he worried nonetheless. One wrong move and he would embarrass himself again. But every time he started to think this way, he chanced a glance into the stands where he could always manage to spot a certain blonde haired girl in the Gryffindor crowd. Knowing that she was there, rooting for _him_ , gave him everything he needed to perform his best game yet.

The game ended quite quickly with Juliet finding the snitch while her team was up by fifty points. The stands broke out into an uproar and the rest was a blur to James. As soon as his team had touched down on the ground they dog piled onto each other, Juliet proudly waving the snitch in the air. The mass of Gryffindor students that flooded the pitch afterwards only aggravated the mounting joy and pretty soon every member of the team was being carried by the crowd back up to the castle.

James found himself in the common room again, but this time it was packed wall to wall with every Gryffindor student. The entire team was given another round of applause as butterbeers were brought up from the kitchens and passed around. James was fairly certain his face was going to fall off if he kept grinning this much, but he didn't care enough to stop. He was over the moon. Adrenaline and endorphins had flooded his system. He doubted he could be any happier in that moment, that is, until his eyes happened to find Sophie. She was chatting with Maddie and was all smiles, as usual. He felt something tighten in his chest. Wouldn't it just be the cherry on top of a perfect game to get the girl of his dreams?

Arnold and Clarence noticed this look in his eye right away. Arnold draped an arm over his friend's shoulder, "Lemme guess, you still haven't told her how mad you are for her?"

"No."

"Don't you think," Clarence started cloyingly, "That now would be the most opportune moment to tell her?"

"Sweep her off her feet, as it were," Arnold echoed.

"Think so?" James asked, only barely hesitating.

"Oh for the love of Merlin," Arnold sighed with a glance to Clarence. His friends each put a hand to his back and shoved him forward through the crowd.

"Good look!" The boys crooned as James made his way over to her.

He felt his nerve flicker slightly, but he ignored it. He was rushed with bravado. He could handle this, he could handle anything after that match. Sure they had come in third, but it had been an unexpected win. He deserved to win her affections.

"Hey James," Maddie turned before Sophie as he approached, "I was just telling Sophie about how excited we all are to have Juliet get off our backs now."

"Yeah," Sophie said to Maddie, "But now _you're_ going to be hounding them."

"Wait, what?" James was briefly distracted from his initial goal, "It's official?"

Maddie grinned, "Yep. Juliet just asked me. I'm going to be captain next year!"

"That's amazing, congratulations. I knew she'd choose you. You'll be brilliant," James congratulated her before awkwardly adding, "Hey can I steal Sophie from you for a minute?"

Maddie, looking slightly disgruntled, exchanged a look with Sophie before relenting, "Yeah, sure. I'll catch you later Soph."

"What's up James?" Sophie asked genially.

Before he could talk himself out of it or lose any more nerve James blurted out very abruptly, "I was wondering if you would want to go out with me some time?"

Sophie's brows creased for a brief moment, as if confused, "Um, sure, I guess. You mean to, like, see your sister in Hogsmeade?"

"No, I mean like a date," James clarified flatly.

Sophie giggled and James felt a soaring hope in his chest. Until she opened her mouth and said, "I'm sorry James, I'm just not interested in you like that. I'm happy just being friends."

He was silent a moment too long. She frowned, "I hope that's okay…"

"Yeah, of course, totally," He spoke rapidly, "Not a problem. Of course we're friends."

"I also just can't afford to be distracted during the O.W.L tests, you know how it is."

"Right. Don't mention it. It's fine. Listen, have a good night. I'm really exhausted, think I'm just gonna nip up to bed early," James excused himself before she could say another word and made his way up to the boy's dorms.

He was so embarrassed. How could he have been so naive to think that just because he had proven successful in the Quidditch game today that that would mean she would want to go out with him? Why _didn't_ it work though? How was that not enough for her? How was she not interested in him? What was wrong with him? Wasn't he enough? He was smart enough, he was charming, and he reckoned he wasn't half bad looking. Sure he wasn't a genius like his baby brother, and he wasn't a total rebel like Lyra. But he was … he was never going to be with her. James collapsed on his bed and screamed into his pillow. The Quidditch victory felt so distant, as if it never mattered in the first place. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he tossed and turned all night long to fretful dreams.


	31. Jealousy

Fall 2026

Harry and Draco escorted their sons through the barrier at King's Cross Station onto the Platform in utilitarian form. With no ceremony, the boys brought their trunks up onto the train and didn't even bother to bid goodbye to their fathers when they boarded the professor's car. There was nobody to say goodbye to anymore, no new students in their extended families. There were only two Potter-Malfoys and two Weasleys boarding this year. The staff at Hogwarts were a bit relieved to have fewer Weasleys roaming the halls, though when Harry informed them on the train of Victoire Weasley and Teddy Lupin's engagement they knew it was only a matter of time before another generation of Weasley arrived at the school.

Happy though they were for Teddy, James and Caelum cared far more about socializing aboard the train than gossiping about family matters. Caelum found himself sharing a train cabin with Neil, as he usually did. James, meanwhile was meandering down the halls. He wanted to tell himself that he was looking for the trolley lady to get some droobles, but of course that wasn't true. He really just wanted to have an excuse to run into her.

As luck would have it, Sophie happened to appear just as he was starting to lose hope.

She had just left her cabin and immediately locked eyes with James. Her cheerful smile wavered and was replaced by a forced smile as James approached her with his characteristic swagger.

"Hey James."

"Hey Soph. How was your summer?"

"Uh, pretty exciting. Yours?"

"Predictable," James commented quickly, "Listen, I just wanted to apologize for what happened last year —"

"James, you don't have to—"

"I do, actually. It was awkward and weird and I shouldn't have asked you out so suddenly. I would much rather get to know you properly, y'know?"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Sophie said with a nervous laugh, "I can't go out with you James. I'm —"

"Not interested, I know. I'm not asking you to, I just want to be friends —"

"So that I will eventually date you, but that's not going to happen because I've got a girlfriend now."

If she had hit him in the face with a frying pan it would have had the same effect. He was stunned speechless, though his mouth still moved wordlessly.

"And I don't plan on cheating on her," She added unnecessarily.

"When did this happen?" He finally said.

"Over the summer," Sophie said as she crossed her arms. She held her chin up as if daring him to have a problem with it.

"I guess that explains why it was an exciting summer for you. Alright, well, er, I'll see ya later Soph," He said quickly before turning and walking away before she could say anything else. The less he knew about her relationship, the better. He hoped it was a Slytherin girl so it would be easier to hate her. He burst into the cabin where his friends were waiting for him and did his best to not slam the door shut.

"What'd she say?" Arnold asked bemusedly. He and Clarence had both been well aware that James had not been looking for the trolley lady and knew by his dour expression that things had not gone according to whatever unknown plan he'd had.

"She's got a girlfriend," James blurted, his voice going up an octave half way through his sentence as he began to pace the small cabin.

The boys exchanged a nervous look. "Well," Clarence started, "Not much you can do about that, mate."

James collapsed on the seat beside Clarence and shook his head. He muttered to himself incoherently. He had plucked up all the courage he had to talk to her again, to try and apologize. He thought if he could just get to know her first, maybe she would rethink things. Maybe then she would be interested in him.

"It'll be fine," Arnold insisted, "It's not like she's the only hot girl at Hogwarts."

James glared at his friend, "That's not why I want to be with her, arsehole."

"Hey," Clarence interjected before Arnold could take offense, "Don't take your frustration out on him. What can we do to make this less shitty?"

James fell back into his former state, his elbows on his knees with his body hunched over, his head in his hands. He was quiet for several seconds. Clarence hesitantly rubbed his back. James didn't stop him. Finally, James spoke again.

"Seeing her is going to be too painful. I need you guys to keep her out of my sight as much as you can, _especially_ if she's with her girlfriend. That'd be too painful to see."

"Of course," They both assured him, though they knew this would be ridiculously hard to pull off since Sophie was in the same year and house as them.

Unfortunately, due to an incident involving a first year setting a kneazle loose in the cabin near theirs, the boys got on one of the last thestral-drawn carriages toward the castle and were one of the last students to enter the Great Hall. This meant that James noticed her immediately when he went toward the Gryffindor table, as he always did on the first day. Bad enough that his eyes were instantly drawn to Sophie, worse still, she moved to whisper something in a girl's ear before kissing her cheek. James felt his blood drain and boil simultaneously. The girl was a Gryffindor. Sophie's girlfriend was Maddie Boot-Weasley.

Noticing what he had witnessed, Arnold and Clarence acted quickly to yank James down to the nearest empty seats at the table, conveniently far from her.

"Breathe," Clarence reminded James.

"I am breathing."

"Well, think happy thoughts then," Arnold suggested.

James turned and glared at Arnold, "Like what?"

"Perhaps," A voice appeared from below the table in response, "Consider the simple fact that you're mortal and will die without any of this mattering."

The boys watched as Nearly Headless Nick's slightly wobbly head appeared from the center of the table. He cast a dismissively stern look to James, "Do keep quiet, would you? I love a good sorting and I don't want to have you disrupt it with your whining."

James rolled his eyes but kept quiet for the rest of the meal. As soon as McGonagall dismissed them to eat, he stormed out of the Great Hall and rushed up to the Gryffindor common room. He barged in with the password that he had overheard a prefect telling a first year and made his way up to the boy's dormitory. He didn't want his sixth year to go like this, to feel the need to hide constantly because of a girl. But he also would prefer it versus having to watch her fall in love with someone else, let alone someone he had thought was his friend.

As he sprawled across his small bed he wondered how Quidditch would turn out. He felt a sense of dread wash over him. What if he had classes with Sophie? What if Maddie was in those classes now that they were all in N.E.W.T levels? He resolved to ignore them as best as he could and turn a blind eye. He wouldn't let her destroy him like this. He didn't need her. He didn't even want her anymore. Maddie could have her for all he cared. But by the time James had changed and gotten under the covers for the night he was back to feeling miserable again. He just wanted to be with Sophie. Why did it have to be so difficult?

Just as he was about to escape this tirade of thoughts with the promising allure of sleep, his brain snapped him back awake with a terrible thought. Maddie had been nearby when he had asked Sophie out last term. Maddie had agreed Sophie was beautiful. She knew exactly how James felt about her, but she went and asked Sophie out anyway. A disturbing pit of anger began to well deep within him and he only managed to fall asleep when sheer exhaustion forced him to.

...

Caelum headed into his father's classroom on the first day of classes with an abnormally cheerful air about him. He had just left Potions with Neil and had been delighted that he had successfully brewed their first potion. He did so well that he even got the best mark in the class for the day. He felt invincible knowing that he was now successful in his most challenging subject. In a flurry of chatter over the homework Slughorn had assigned, Caelum and Neil took a desk at the back of the room without looking around. It wasn't until Caelum saw a flash of yellow behind Neil that he looked up.

"Oh, we've got a class with the Hufflepuffs," Caelum noted as he looked around the room as it was steadily filling up.

"About time," Neil pointed out, "I was beginning to wonder if there was something fishy going on. We haven't had a class with the Hufflepuffs since second year Transfiguration. I wonder if it was a technical error."

Caelum didn't reply as he noticed a familiar face pass by. Daisy Longbottom was engrossed in conversation with her own friend and strolled right past Caelum without noticing. He hadn't seen her in ages. Indeed, there _had_ been a clerical error in the distribution of houses last year that had caused the third years Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws to have not a single class together, except for Divination — which Caelum couldn't be bothered with. Even when he had had Transfiguration with Daisy, they hadn't interacted. He had done all of his lessons in class with Neil. It had been months before he even realized they were in the same class together. Despite this general lack of contact, he still had a soft spot for her. She had been so kind to him his first year.

Once, when Neil had been dreadfully ill with spattergroit for a fortnight, Daisy had sat with Caelum for every meal so he wouldn't be lonely. They got on splendidly, but that was really the last time he had spent time with her. After he had recovered, Neil returned to being Caelum's right hand man. Caelum always wondered why Daisy didn't continue to sit with him after his friend had healed. They all could have been friends, it didn't have to be weird. But she had kept her distance after that and had slowly but surely lost touch with him.

Caelum was brought back to the room when his father spoke in front of the class.

"Welcome back everyone. I'm afraid there's no need to take out your quills today, we're going to start off with a practical lesson." A murmur of excitement stirred through the students. Harry smiled, "Please, spare me your tears." The students laughed as they cleared their desks of their textbooks and parchment.

A few beats later, after their desks had been moved to the edges of the classroom, Professor Potter clarified his intention for the day's lesson, "Normally, I would have given this lesson your third year, but one of these particular creatures hadn't shown up. I'm not one for artificially creating a situation for my students. It's my belief that your experience in this classroom should reflect your reality. Therefore, you can never predict when a dark creature may appear."

Wordlessly, he summoned a small box from his office. It was solid silver with an emerald 'M' emblazoned on the lid. Caelum recognized it immediately and smiled to himself. It was his grandmother's jewelry box. He knew exactly what was coming.

Harry put it delicately on the floor. The box shook and trembled slightly.

"Anyone want to take a guess as to what might be in here?" He asked the class.

Caelum knew, but kept his mouth shut. He usually did in his father's class. He never wanted anyone to suspect he was receiving preferential treatment. Of course he wasn't, but he knew everyone would think he was if he was answering all the questions in class.

"Yes, Daisy?" Professor Potter gestured to her raised hand.

"Is it infected with doxies perhaps?"

"Oh, good guess, but not quite. Anyone else? Yes, Hector."

A Ravenclaw beamed a bit smugly, "Is it a boggart professor?"

"Ten points to Ravenclaw, indeed it is. Now can anyone tell me what a boggart is?"

A Hufflepuff jumped at the opportunity, "A boggart is an amortal non-being. They have an unknown form and origin. When approached, they'll take the form of whatever a person fear's most in the world."

"Ten points to Hufflepuff, but I'll give you five more if you can tell me what spell we're going to be practicing today."

"The boggart banishing spell. The incantation of which is _riddikulus_ ," The eager Hufflepuff boy chimed in.

"Excellent, that's another five for you. Now, if you can attempt to form an orderly line, we'll see if we can banish this one," Potter instructed.

The students immediately began to push and shove around the room. Some students were eager to face the boggart, but most were dreading having to face their greatest fear and tried to push as back as they could. Neil, however, was one of the confident ones and pushed both him and Caelum to the very front of the line. Daisy had been distracted and not noticed the line forming until then and quickly stood in front of Caelum, not wanting to be accused of being a wimp. Potter approached her and murmured to her so quietly that even Caelum couldn't make out what he was saying.

He turned to the rest of the class, "Alright before we let this boggart out, let me hear you really annunciate the incantation." The class recited it five times before Potter was satisfied. "Alright, perfect. Daisy, do you have an idea of what the boggart might turn into? No need to tell the class what it is, just nod if you have an idea."

She nodded silently.

"Now, before I open this box I want you to concentrate on how you can make that fear amusing in some way. This is the key to the incantation. Visualization is key to beating an amortal being. Think of these creatures as a personified emotion. Boggarts are our fears, dementors are our sorrow, poltergeists are our mischief."

A Hufflepuff girl raised her hand in line and asked, "Professor, does that mean we'll learn how to stop Peeves from annoying us next lesson?"

He laughed, "Not next lesson, but yes, I'll teach you how to deal with Peeves before the year is out." He turned his attention back to Daisy, "Are you ready?"

She held her wand aloft and nodded with trepidation. Potter briefly waved his wand, causing the box to spring open. Cockroaches poured out of the box and flooded the floor. The students began to scream as they crawled around the floor toward Daisy who started to back up into Caelum in a panic.

"Concentrate, Daisy. You can do this," Harry assured her.

" _Riddikulus_!" She cried. The cockroaches turned into neon colors and grew googly eyes on the back of their head. The students burst out laughing at the technicolor bugs with the silly eyes. The bugs twitched at the laughter, the boggart was growing aggravated.

"Excellent work Daisy. Another five points for Hufflepuff. Caelum, your turn."

Daisy ran to the back of the line as Caelum stood stock still. Neil, standing behind him, nudged him forward. The bugs congregated in front of him and slowly stacked on top of each other before evolving into none other than the Headmistress herself.

"I'm afraid," The false Minerva McGonagall spoke in a strange voice, "That you're no longer a student at Hogwarts. You are hereby expelled."

The classroom gasped, briefly forgetting how false this image was. Caelum glanced at his father who watched the boggart curiously.

"Did you HEAR ME?" The boggart screamed, "EXPELLED. You will never be a good enough wizard for anyone. You —"

" _Riddikulus_!" Caelum shouted. But his heart was racing, he hadn't visualized a thing. The boggart only grew taller, suddenly standing a solid ten feet tall.

The expression on the face of fake McGonagall grew more and more terrifying. Her eyes slowly turned black as her jaw slacked and fangs grew from her mouth. She spoke in a high pitched screech, "You will never be as good as them. No matter how hard you try! YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE NAME OF WIZARDRY."

Caelum attempted the spell again but his panic was only rising. His grip of his wand was too slack and it flew out of his hand. It smacked into the wall with a little burst before rolling onto the floor. The class was beginning to snicker at his blunders. Caelum thought he would fall through the ground from shame and terror. Why was his father doing nothing?

Neil shoved Caelum aside and stepped forward in front of the boggart. The giant monster tilted its head slightly before steadily shrinking and turning into a stern looking man with rage etched into every feature of his face. Just before he could open his mouth, Neil waved his wand with great precision and recited the incantation perfectly. The man's tongue was replaced by a kazoo and his hair turned into silly string. The students burst with laughter all around them.

Neil grabbed Caelum's arm and tugged him to the back of the room. Caelum scooped his wand up off the floor as they went.

Easily unheard while the rest of the class laughed at the boggart, Neil still whispered when he spoke to his friend, "What the hell was that all about?"

"I don't know."

"You've never messed up a Defence spell before, what's gotten into you?" Neil demanded, "And what was that with McGonagall?"

Caelum could tell Daisy was glancing at him curiously from a few paces away. He glanced around the room, ignoring his friend's demanding questions. The class was still distracted by the boggart.

Neil couldn't take the silence, "Fine. You don't have to tell me, just pay more attention next time, okay?"

Caelum nodded and slowly hid in the back of the classroom until class was dismissed when the boggart had been successfully banished from his grandmother's jewelry box. Before his father could try to get him to stay after class, Caelum disappeared out the door and raced away from Neil. He was supposed to be going to lunch, but instead he made his way to the library. He hid in the aisles at the back of the library, far from everyone else.

Later, he walked in deliberately late to his last class of the day to avoid talking to Neil. He sat down next to a random student in the Herbology greenhouse. It took him a moment to realize it was a Hufflepuff. He glanced around. Sure enough, Daisy was gazing off into space farther along the work tables. Caelum wanted to crawl inside himself and hide there forever. Consequently, he paid no attention on that first day of Herbology.

After class, he attempted to avoid being confronted by Neil again, but was grabbed by him just as he was about to leave the greenhouse.

"Hey," Neil spoke softly, "Can we just talk?"

Caelum frowned but relented, "Just not here. Can we talk about it in the common room?"

After silently carrying themselves five flights up the castle and solving the simple riddle on the door, the two settled down onto a couch in the wide common room. Caelum couldn't look at his friend. He was so ashamed of what had happened in class. He hated that he had screwed up so epically not just in front of his father and friends but in front of Daisy.

Neil spoke first, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. Obviously you were shaken up, and I wasn't helping by yelling at you."

Caelum nodded, "Thanks. No worries."

"Do you want to talk about what happened though?"

Caelum shook his head. Neil accepted this and the two slowly but surely eased back into their usual pattern of studying together. By the time they headed to bed for the night, things felt back to normal and Caelum suspected his mess up in his dad's class had been a fluke.

Unfortunately, this pattern of screwing up in class continued not only in Defence but in Herbology. With the former, he overreacted regularly and was spooked too easily by the dark creatures in class. He did just fine on textbook days, wrote impressive essays, but whenever he had to take out his wand something went wrong.

With Herbology, his failure to pay attention during the first class was sabotaging him. He had missed some basic knowledge that wasn't repeated and was built off in succeeding lessons. He was utterly perplexed and was routinely making mistakes in caring for his bubotuber. Rather than growing at a steady pace like everyone else's, his was barely poking out of the soil.

Neil didn't press the point anymore, but he did do his best to help his friend out when he could. The two studied together more than they had in the past. There were many long nights that term where they sat together with any number of flashcards, essays, and textbooks. It did little to curb Caelum's performative issues in Defence, but he did manage to overcome his hiccups with the bubotuber plant thanks to his study session with his best friend.

But the night before Christmas break was always a quiet one; even Neil and Caelum knew to take a break. The two friends lounged together peacefully in front of the fireplace, discussing their plans for the break. It was to be a much milder Christmas that year for the Potter-Malfoys. Lyra and Lily had opted to spend Christmas that year with their boyfriends' families (which, for Lyra, meant seeing her family at the Weasley party). James and Caelum would have a guy's Christmas with their dads instead. Neil waxed prosaic about the hills he would be skiing down in Norway with his family.

Warm and cozy, Caelum could practically fall asleep then and there. He yawned and leaned into his friend, resting his head on his shoulder comfortably. He was happy to stay that way until he fell asleep, but he was interrupted by Neil, "Hey, uh, can we talk for a sec?"

Caelum straightened up and turned to his friend, "We've been talking all night. Doesn't your tongue eventually get weary?"

Neil looked away, his nose getting a bit red. Caelum assumed this was from being warm beside the fireplace. Neil swallowed hard and murmured, "Cael, I just — I don't know how to say this."

Caelum didn't understand what his friend was so worked up about. He figured it couldn't be anything terribly important. Maybe it was just something embarrassing. Caelum sighed, "Go on, out with it."

"I can't. I just can't say it," Neil fretted, wringing his hands together.

Caelum frowned, "I'm lost here, Neil. What's the big deal?"

"Okay, I can't say it, but I can show you."

"Did you steal one of Hagrid's creatures or something?" Caelum guessed.

Neil laughed and shook his head, "No. Just close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Oh is it my Christmas gift?" Caelum teased.

He grinned, "Er, yes. It is, and it's a surprise, so eyes shut."

Caelum finally did as he was told. Facing Neil, he closed his eyes and held out his hands. What happened next took him completely off guard. He felt someone else's hands in his and then soft lips pressed against his own. His eyes snapped open to see Neil so close to him that he was blurry in his vision. Caelum pulled away, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

Neil looked at him anxiously, "I'm sorry. I just —"

"It's okay," Caelum quickly spoke, "I just didn't see it coming. I'm sorry Neil, but I'm just not wired like that."

Neil looked down, clearly crestfallen. Caelum couldn't stand seeing his friend look so downtrodden. He may not have been in love with him, but he still cared.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could be different for your sake. You know I love you dude, just not like that," Caelum explained.

Neil didn't say anything for awhile. Eventually Neil sniffled, wiping at his cheeks before murmuring, "I just — didn't know how to tell you."

"I know. It's okay. Listen, I'll be your wingman any time you want. You can do way better than me anyway. You should be aiming for Peter Jacobs, we all know he's the hottest Ravenclaw," Caelum tried to reassure his friend.

Neil laughed, "Well, you're not wrong. Listen, thanks for not getting upset. I haven't really had the nerve to talk to a guy yet, so I thought it was the best way to do it."

"Yeah, maybe don't go for such a bold move next time. Just go out with someone first, y'know? Isn't that how it generally works?" Caelum suggested.

Neil nodded, feeling more at ease beside his friend than he had in awhile. He was disappointed he couldn't be with him the way he wanted, but at least he knew he still had his friend. He cleared his throat, "You sure this, er, won't make things awkward?"

"Of course not," Caelum assured him, "You're fine. C'mon, we need to get some shut eye or you'll be late catching the train tomorrow."

Neil agreed and the two made their way up to the boy's dormitories.

...

Christmas dinner was a quiet, calm affair. That is, until Harry had the brilliant idea to bring up the fact that Caelum had been messing up in class, a lot.

"Dad, why do you have to talk about that right now?" Caelum groaned.

"I'm just saying," Harry said serenely, talking more to Draco than Caelum at that point, "I was talking with Neville and he said Caelum's just as distracted in Herbology. But it's funny, because it's only those two subjects. So I looked into it and found that it's the only fourth year classes that Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs share."

Draco raised a brow, "Oh, is that so?" He turned to his young son and nudged him, "Crushing on a cute Hufflepuff perhaps?"

James jeered, "Laaaame."

Caelum smacked his cutlery down on the table and glared across at his brother, "Who are you to laugh when you can't even play Quidditch properly cuz your friend is dating your crush?"

James' expression soured as he looked down at his half empty plate. The whole table was quiet for a moment, taking in this outburst of hormonal rage. After a moment, James murmured as he pushed his peas around his plate, "Why are girls so confusing?"

Draco snorted, "You're asking the wrong people."

Harry managed to maintain his composure better than his husband, "We can't really offer advice about why girls are complicated, but maybe we can help some other way."

James rolled his eyes, "Caelum's got it worse than I do."

"You're both doing the same thing," Harry pointed out, "Neither of you can concentrate on what actually matters because of a girl."

"Oh like you've never been guilty of that," Draco rolled his eyes, "Don't be a hypocrite. Boys, that's really normal. But James, you can't afford to be distracted right now. You need to do well in your N.E.W.T levels if you want to make it to seventh year and not be a super sixth year. Caelum, you're just anxious around her because you want to prove you're smart, a talented wizard, right?"

Caelum nodded, not looking up from his gravy stained plate.

"You both need to learn how to close your mind off to them or this stuff will keep happening. Just pretend like they're not there. Act like your normal selves," Draco advised.

"Can't really ignore Maddie during practice," James quipped.

"No," Draco said, "but you can act like a team instead of rivals. Dividing the team into two is not going to do anyone any good. Sophie is with someone else, there's nothing you can do about that but move on."

Harry stared at his husband silently. They exchanged a look without their sons noticing. Draco knew that this was his own hypocrisy, but it was certainly better than encouraging them to never let go like he once had.

"Your father is right," Harry echoed, "It's best to try and refocus on your studies and your extracurriculars. James, move on. Caelum … relax and just be yourself around her, and maybe eventually pluck up the nerve to ask her out."

"Yeah, Caelum," James snapped, "At least you have a shot in hell."

Harry cast his eldest son a withering look, shutting him up. Caelum shrugged but murmured a mild agreement. He didn't think he had the nerve to ask her out. He didn't know if that's what he even wanted. He just wanted to be her friend, that would make him happy enough. But he knew that wouldn't happen if he kept acting a fool around her. He decided to follow the advice given to James' instead. He would just ignore her and focus on his studies.

James, on the other hand, took his little brother's advice. He would take it easy around Sophie, being more himself, that way she could see he was actually an easy going guy. Then, when the moment was right, he would ask her out and steal her away from Maddie.


	32. Rage & Peace

Spring 2027

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was facing a substantially challenging spring season. After having narrowly defeated Slytherin in the fall, they needed to beat Hufflepuff in the next game to move from second to first place. Consequently, Maddie had ramped up team practices, insisting on five evenings a week instead of their usual two.

James had barely been able to tolerate her during this, but he had kept his cool. While Sophie wasn't attending every single practice now, he suspected Maddie would have told her if he was misbehaving in practice. So, despite her frantic drilling, James did his best to remain calm. He obeyed her ridiculous demands, though not without flinching slightly when he disagreed with them.

During their last practice before their Hufflepuff match, Maddie was especially on edge.

"No, no, NO!" She screamed, "I said to form a V formation! That was a U at best!"

"Does it really matter?" Arnold groaned, "It's still just as effective of a technique. Jack and Noah are still going to be at either end so what does it matter if the chasers are in a pointed V or not?"

"Because that's not what I told you to do. Now try again!" Maddie said before blowing her shrill whistle.

They tried the formation again, this time somehow satisfying her insane demands. Rather than giving her approval she grunted and instructed the chasers to practice their dive and rolls from potential bludger attacks. Jack and Noah took turns blasting bludgers towards the chasers one at a time.

"Good," Maddie said flatly as Rox expertly dodged the bludger while still maintaining a grip on the quaffle.

Rox passed it to Arnold just as Noah smashed the second bludger toward him. In expert form, Arnold ducked his broom out of the way and kept the quaffle steady. Maddie grunted her approval.

James caught the quaffle from his friend as Jack prepared to hit the bludger toward him. James mimicked his teammates, ducking out of the way in what he believed to be perfect form.

Maddie's whistle blew anyway, "What was that?!"

James turned his broom around toward her, frowning, "What was _what_?"

"It grazed the bristles of your broom. You barely avoided that. You need to be faster! It won't be this controlled during the actual match."

"You know, funny enough, I knew that. I have played a couple Quidditch games before and we have been practicing non stop for two months straight," He replied sarcastically.

"Do you get it though? Because you're acting like a first year that stumbled across a broomstick. Get your head out of your ass."

"Oh, I need to get my head out of my ass? Have you looked in a mirror? Because you're currently looking like quite an asshat."

"How dare you? I am doing what I have to to secure a victory for our team! If you're not willing to do the work it takes to win the Cup then what are you even doing here?" She shouted, her face reddening with fury.

"Woah, woah," Rox interrupted, "Let's just cool down for a minute. Why don't we just take a break or end practice early today to let everyone cool down?"

"What did I just say?" Maddie spat, "We can't afford to end practice early the day before a game!"

"Yes we can, Maddie. You're not listening to any of us. We are exhausted! If anything, we need time to recover from all of the practices," James shouted. "I've done everything you've told me to during practices and you have the audacity to say that I'm not putting in enough effort, that I don't want the Cup?"

"You're making stupid mistakes we can't afford to make tomorrow! We can't afford to have any weak players!"

"WEAK?" James was screaming now, "I scored the most goals against Slytherin! How dare you. Get off your high fucking broom. You are not better than the rest of us. You're supposed to lead not control!"

"That's it, I've had it. You're off the team, effective immediately. Get out of my sight," Maddie said with a very sudden drop in volume.

James leaned back on his broomstick, utterly dumbstruck. The rest of the team watched in equal silence, unsure what to do with themselves. He finally managed to mutter, "Y-you're kidding right?"

"I'm not. Leave. Now."

James' shock was replaced with a deeper burst of rage. He chucked the quaffle directly at Maddie, who caught it without hesitation. He had been hoping it would break her nose. He flew down to the pitch below and stormed off, eclipsing the changing rooms and heading straight for the castle.

He wasn't really thinking anything, just operating on basic instinct. He stormed up the steps of the school on that cool Friday, without really knowing where his feet were taking him.

A few moments later he burst into the Defence classroom and vaguely registered that it was empty. He charged forward and up the steps to his father's office. He banged the door open harshly, but found it empty as well. Where was his dad? He threw open the door to his flat and rushed in. To his surprise, Draco was sitting calmly at the dining table, reading a large book quietly in the gray light by the window. He looked up without much reaction as his son burst into the room. James glared at him without saying anything.

Draco reached for his cup of tea and held it up to his lips, not taking his eyes off his child, "Something bothering you son?" He asked before taking a sip.

Inexplicably, this was enough to send James' rage boiling over. He chucked the broom that he was still carrying in his hand across the room. When that didn't seem to be good enough he kicked at the coffee table near him, but it didn't budge much. He felt like a bull, desperate to destroy everything within sight. He picked the coffee table up and threw it toward the empty fireplace, causing it to splinter and crack. He was unaware of his own voice screaming uproariously.

Draco wasn't reacting at all. He simply watched his son damage the room. When he had knocked over the couch and chairs and rid the bookshelves of their books he moved back into Harry's actual office and continued on his path of destruction. Finally, when there was nothing left to break but the chair and table Draco was occupying, James returned to the flat. He shoved some debris aside and sat down on the floor quietly, folding his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as if folding in on himself.

Again, Draco did nothing. He simply waited.

James bent his head down. From the way his shoulders trembled slightly, his dad could ascertain that he was crying.

Without making a sound, Draco waved his wand and repaired the damage done to the room. Books righted themselves and uncrumpled their pages, returning to the bookshelves. The furniture was healed from its wounds and put back in place. Draco cast a few spells into Harry's office, righting the damage done there as well. Finally, once everything was back to normal, he moved to sit down beside his kid. He put an arm around James' shoulders. He didn't seem to take any notice of it. Draco glanced at the broom that still lay limply across the room.

"What happened?" Draco asked gently.

James sniffed and cleared his throat loudly, turning his face away from his dad as he attempted to wipe the tears off his face without notice, "Maddie kicked me off the team."

"What?" Draco responded immediately. Normally he was much better at maintaining composure, but this was a genuine shock.

"We got in an argument. She's been driving us all crazy with her awful practices and I got fed up with her nagging me for such small things. I — I told her she's gotta stop trying to control us and lead us instead and she kicked me off the team," James explained.

Draco nodded slowly, taking his time to articulate a reply, "I'm sorry James. I wish this hadn't happened."

"Maybe I can go to Neville or McGonagall? Maybe they can revoke her decision?" James thought out loud, suddenly having a burst of hope.

"Even if they could, wouldn't that make her even angrier with you? I can't imagine that would be a good idea. I don't think there's any undoing this," Draco said

James didn't say anything, he just scowled some more. After a moment of silence he said, "They're not going to be able to get a good substitute so last minute. I can't even watch the game tomorrow, it'll be too painful. Besides, we — _they_ will probably lose."

"You do whatever is best for you, James."

"Can I — can I just do my homework here tomorrow? The common room is going to be obsessed with the game and I don't even want to hear about it."

"Sure, but I'm going to have to insist you go back to your common room today. You can't sleep here and avoid being uncomfortable forever."

"But dad!"

"No buts. You can come here to study during the match, but when you're done you have to go back to your own quarters. Like I said, discomfort can be a good thing. Well, that and Fridays and Saturdays are your father and I's date nights."

"Ugh, gross!" James squirmed away from his dad before finally getting to his feet.

Draco laughed good naturedly as he rose to his feet, "Listen, I know this sucks right now, but you were pretty miserable on the team this year anyway. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise?"

"I doubt it," James sighed.

"Well, Maddie graduates this year anyway. You can always try out for the team again next year."

James shrugged before dismissing himself and heading back to his common room. His dad had a point. His grades so far this term hadn't been great. He was starting to worry about not passing his first year of N.E.W.T classes. His dads were unaware of this. He had avoided telling them in an attempt to avoid an unwanted lecture. So perhaps this would be a good thing for him? He hated to admit it, but he knew that avoiding his peers wouldn't help him in the long run either.

When he finally was in front of the Fat Lady portrait he was surprised to see her covering her ears. Before he could say the password she spoke, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you. They're making quite a racket in there."

"Who is?"

"Do you think I know all of your names?" The Fat Lady shook her head in disbelief, "Are you coming in or sparing your ears?"

" _Niffler,_ let me in," James insisted, reciting the password.

The Fat Lady reluctantly swung herself open. James stepped in, immediately hearing high pitched voices. It sounded like a banshee choir. Before he had a chance to figure out what was being said or who was saying it, someone had started screaming at him, "OH OF COURSE _HE'S_ HERE! JUST ADD TO THE SHIT SHOW. DID YOU JUST WANT TO CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS?"

James hadn't recognized her at first. The red faced woman who had ran at him and pointed at him aggressively could not possibly have been Sophie. She wasn't one to raise her voice or lose her temper, but it was definitely her blue eyes glaring at him.

James leaned away from her, stumbling over his words, unsure what to say. He glanced behind her and noticed Maddie looking away from them, her arms folded as she glared into the fireplace. The rest of the common room was deserted, but James suspected there may have been people hiding in the dormitories away from the very loud fight being had below.

"You just had to start some shit didn't you? You just can't let it go that I didn't agree to go out with you, can you?" Sophie accused, jabbing her finger in his direction again.

James had no idea what to say. He had never been so ferociously accosted in his life, and he was left stunned.

When he said nothing in reply she whipped around to her girlfriend, "And you? Kicking one of the best players off the team? The day before a match? I don't even play Quidditch and I know that's dumb as shit! Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"I won't tolerate his cheek anymore, he's been a git!" Maddie defended herself haughtily, though without matching Sophie's volume.

"We both know that's not what your problem is. Fess up, Maddie. Might as well say it while he's here. He has the right to know it's got nothing to do with his Quidditch abilities," Sophie insisted.

Maddie cast a livid glance at James before turning back to her girlfriend and murmuring, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because, I'm sick of this shit. I'm sick of you pretending like you don't have a superiority complex with your own teammate. Just because he asked me out does not mean you need to worry about him. You're both so stupidly jealous and I've just about had it."

"It's not jealousy," Maddie seethed, "I don't like being upstaged and he always demands to be center of attention during matches. I'm the captain! I'm supposed to be the one that wins the games, not him."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Sophie retaliated, "You think he's going to soak up all the limelight so you kick him off the team? Won't that only draw attention to him? Everyone's going to be talking about this. You just gave him a one way ticket to center stage, Maddie. Congratulations."

"Yeah, well, I bet you'll love it. He'll cry 'pity me, people are gossiping' and you can go running back to his side!" Maddie shouted.

"What are you even talking about?" Sophie cried out.

"Fine, I have been worried. He shows off in every game and every practice you attend. He practically preens like a peacock out there!" Maddie accused, pointing at James with another cursory glare.

"Are you trying to say you don't trust me? You really think I'm going to go after him because he's a show off?" Sophie asked, evidently offended.

"Soph, you've been in love with him since you were a first year. How was I not supposed to worry? I could never understand why you chose me over him in the first place. I've just always assumed there was going to be a day where you left me for him," Maddie's rage had dissipated into a pained sorrow.

Sophie stood there dumbfounded, finally silent for the first time in awhile. She looked back and forth between James and Maddie for a moment before turning to her girlfriend. She whispered almost imperceptibly, "How could you?"

She turned and rushed past James through the portrait hole and vanished.

James stared at Maddie, uncertain what to do. Maddie just shook her head and shrugged, turning to sit down on one of the couches, burying her face in her hands.

James wasn't sure what to do. He had grown up playing with Maddie and the other Weasley kids. Being pretty close in age, they had often been lumped together at family gatherings. They had always had fun together as kids. Why was it so much more complicated now? He wanted to leave her and go lie in bed, but he knew that wasn't fair to her.

After a minute's hesitation, he moved to sit beside her. She turned and looked at him curiously, "What are you doing?"

"I'm still really pissed off at you," James said gently, "That was really cruel to kick me off the team. But … you're like family to me. I can't just let you stew in your own misery. Unless you would rather I leave you alone, in which case, that's fine too I guess."

Her lips twitched slightly, "No, it's okay. I'm sorry for all of this I just — I really love her. I didn't want to lose her and I thought … I dunno."

"I mean," James sighed, "I _was_ hoping to win her over. You weren't wrong in assuming that. But I never got the impression she actually wanted me at all. Are you sure she's liked me since first year? All evidence points to the contrary."

Maddie sat up straight, looking towards him, "She told me she had a crush on you for years that faded some time ago. With a history like that and you clearly going after her, I just assumed I was doomed."

James was quiet for a moment before hesitantly asking, "Why did you pursue her in the first place if you knew that I liked her? I'm not saying you weren't allowed, but it's just curious."

"I was just as mystified by her as you were. I wanted to just be in her atmosphere and be important to her. But now … now she probably never wants to see me again," She said, slowly beginning to frown. Tears slipped from her eyes and down her cheek.

He slowly put his arm around her and she leaned into him instinctively. He knew that part of this was just a self-fulfilling prophecy on Maddie's part. She had been afraid of Sophie leaving her and had pushed her away. But James knew better than to say that to her. Instead he just did his best to comfort her, eventually forgiving each other.

Unfortunately, there was no undoing his removal from the team. The team rules dictated that any bans by the captain were irrevocable for the remainder of the season. Even after asking Neville desperately, there was nothing they could do. Maddie apologized profusely, but James was able to let it go. He still needed to concentrate on his grades, so he didn't mind it as much as he initially had.

The match against Hufflepuff wasn't wonderful. Their substitute was their weakest link, and the opposing team targeted him. Still, they only lost the game by a very narrow margin. As if this loss were not bittersweet enough, Maddie returned to the common room after the game to find Sophie waiting for her. The two disappeared into the girls dormitories with gloomy expressions. Word later spread that the couple had split up. James briefly wondered if this was indeed because Sophie was still interested in him, but she made it abundantly clear that that was not the case when she proceeded to actively ignore him in the common room and classes.

James was initially quite sour over the whole situation, but his spirits were lifted substantially on his birthday in early April when he reached seventeen. His fathers gifted him an enchanted motorbike that had previously belonged to Sirius Black as well as a watch that was a replica of his grandfather James' wristwatch. Despite the fact that he was forbidden to use the motorbike during the school year, he was still elated at the potential mischief he could cause with such a device at his disposal. The joy of his coming of age and the improvement of his grades finally managed to bring some happiness to James that year.

But he was not the only one to be in high spirits that spring. Caelum's grades were slowly but surely improving as well. Better yet, he was back to normal with Neil who was finally giving Caelum a little more space now that he wasn't so fixated on being with him.

Harry was proud to see his son finally focusing in class and pulling through during practical lessons. It was seemed as if he had all but forgotten Daisy existed, at least from Harry's perspective.

In reality, he had actually grown closer to Daisy that spring. Despite his attempt to focus better, he was still at a loss in Herbology and had started a study group with other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs from class. One day, while the group was studying in a semi circle on the front lawn, Daisy happened to approach them.

She had been hoping to just take a walk but had recognized her classmates sprawled on the grass with textbooks and quills. She was surprised to see Caelum there as well and approached him rather than a fellow Hufflepuff she had recognized.

"Is this seat taken?" She asked as she stood in the empty patch of grass by Caelum.

He looked up from his herbology book and grinned, being slightly blinded by the sun that was glowing just behind her head in the bright blue sky, "No, you can sit there if you like."

"Thank you," She murmured as she tucked her skirt behind her knees and sat down carefully next to him.

"I didn't think you would need help with herbology of all subjects," Caelum confessed quietly so as not to bother their classmates.

"Oh," Daisy laughed lightly, "Just because my dad's the professor doesn't mean I have it easy. I still don't understand everything, and if anything it's harder because I don't feel like it's okay for me to ask my dad for help. So, I try to find study buddies when I can. I thought you would get that."

Caelum blushed slightly and tried to recover himself, "I'm sorry, you're totally right. I get it. I just — didn't think. That's my bad."

Daisy waved off his embarrassment, "Oh, don't worry about it, you're fine. So what are you stuck on? Maybe I can help a little or we can help each other?"

And just like that, the two were talking again for the first time in a few years. Thanks to their study sessions, Caelum found his grade improving dramatically in herbology and he finally felt at ease around her. He was no longer jumpy, rattled, or nervous around her. He was able to truthfully be his normal dorky, quiet self.

By the time all of the students were making their way to the train in Hogsmeade, the Potter-Malfoys seemed to have regained an equilibrium that had been missing most of the year. Caelum was no longer sure how he felt about Daisy, and that was okay by him. He was far more stressed about preparing for his OWLs the following year. James, meanwhile, had not spoken to Sophie at all since the blow out in March. But on the platform on that sunny June day they happened to catch each other's eyes across the sea of swarming students. She smiled apologetically in his direction before disappearing onto the train. James and Caelum were both beaming as they headed home for the summer.


	33. Study Time

Fall 2027

After very little persuasion, James was given permission by both Neville and the headmistress to try out for Quidditch Captain at the start of the new year. The spot was still open, as Maddie had wanted to to give him the title when she graduated last term, but was unable to due rules. When James had approached his teammates in the common room during the first week they wouldn't even allow him to give his rousing speech about why he would make a good captain. His friends and teammates that he had been playing the game with for years automatically handed him the coveted title of Captain, knowing he was well deserving of it.

James lead his team with a steady hand. He was thorough in the tryouts in the first month of school, insisting on giving everyone two chances. He was sympathetic to those that stumbled and struggled, remembering when he was in the same position. He eventually found a stunning third year girl to replace Maddie as keeper and a formidable fourth year to take Rox's place as the third chaser. He was methodical during practices, making sure that the new recruits were kept busy, but not overwhelmed. At the same time, he was careful to find the weak spots for his returning crew and ensured that those weaknesses were targeted.

By the time of the first match against Slytherin, the team was in top notch form. After four years of Hufflepuff winning the Quidditch Cup, the team was more motivated than ever to secure first place at the start of the season. With a thorough strategy going into the match, Slytherin didn't stand a chance against the new captain. Just as planned, James and his fellow chasers performed excellent distraction strategies while still scoring points. Jack and Noah, as well as the new keeper, Zoe, were able to prevent Slytherin's young chasers from scoring for the majority of the game. To top it off, their seeker, Cally, was an absolute wonder and managed to find and catch the snitch without anyone noticing before the game had even gone an hour.

James rode off the high of victory for the entirety of the weekend. He spent the weekend with his old friends down in Hogsmeade. Normally, he would have gone to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to visit his sister at some point, but she was no longer there. No, he saw her far more frequently now than he had before. On the recommendation of Freddie Weasley, the headmistress and Slughorn had hired on Lyra Potter-Malfoy as a part-time potions professor. Given their slight hesitation, they had started her off only teaching the first three years while Horace still taught the upper levels. James was eternally grateful for this. He loved Lyra dearly but if he had had to take orders from her, he would have killed her.

Instead of visiting his older sister, James simply enjoyed himself in Hogsmeade with his friends as they visited their old haunts and reminisced together. As they headed back up to the castle on a cool Sunday in September, the boys were more reflective than usual.

"So do you think any of us are actually going to do what we set out to?" Clarence asked his friends a bit grimly.

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"I don't know, sometimes I question whether or not I'll be able to pass my NEWT levels and get accepted by the International Consortium of Magical Historians," Clarence admitted.

"You've got nothing to worry about," James insisted, "You did so well last year and you're doing brilliantly this year. Didn't Binns just recommend you publish your last essay in the periodicals?"

Clarence nodded, "Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to do well."

"Still," Arnold added, "If you're worrying about it this much, I don't think you're in any trouble. Me on the other hand, I don't know how well I'm going to do trying out for Quidditch teams. I wish there was going to be openings on the Appleby Arrows so I could keep playing with Roxanne. I'm so jealous she made it on."

"Even if you don't make it onto any teams right after graduation, your backup plan to work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports should work out just fine. Your grades are almost as good as Clarence's after all," James reminded Arnold. "It's me that has to worry, not you guys."

"You know you're never going to be an auror if you keep wasting your time planning Quidditch strategies and hanging out with us instead of studying," Clarence said unhelpfully.

James rolled his eyes, "Yeah. I know."

"Are you at least being careful in Defence? You know your dad won't hesitate to both ground you and give you detention," Arnold warned.

"Can we just drop it? I'll be fine," James said, contradicting his own concerns that he may not be fine. The boys stopped discussing it and returned to the common room. James tried to urge them to play a game or two of gobstones but they had to study. Despite their conversation, he proceeded to flip through his Quidditch books and make plans for practices, even though the next match wouldn't occur until after winter break.

Unlike his brother, Caelum was practically chained to his studies that year. His building anxiety about his OWL year had culminated in an obsessive studying habit. Neil had to routinely force him to put the books down to do basic things like eat and sleep, let alone to relax. With this extreme absorption in his academics, Caelum had not noticed that someone was desperately trying to get his attention during the term.

Daisy had enjoyed getting to know Caelum at the end of last year and had developed a sort of crush for the youngest Potter-Malfoy over the summer. She had spent so much time thinking of him that by the time she saw him at school again she had almost fainted on sight. Since then, she had persistently attempted to get his attention.

Unfortunately, her efforts appeared to be in vain. No matter how many times she invited him to study with her, he would rebuff her with instance that he needed to study alone in order to focus. She tried "accidentally" running into him at various times after she had memorized his schedule. This never lead to anything either, as he always had his face in a book. Even when she physically collided with him, he would apologize and scurry away. When she had dyed her hair an insane color he hadn't even noticed. Finally, close to winter break, she resorted to the only method she thought would work and began dating a sixth year Slytherin in an attempt to make him jealous. Although he hadn't noticed this at all, she continued to date him on the off chance Caelum would eventually become incensed by it and demand she be with him instead.

…

In late November, just as the first snow was grazing the Hogwarts grounds, Harry admitted defeat. He had been holding off on punishing James for his terrible grade in class, but he couldn't avoid it any longer. He had marked so many papers with glaring D's and P's without saying a word to his son. He did his best to keep his role as professor and father separate, but his concern was nagging him almost constantly now. His son was in his final year at Hogwarts and he had barely scraped by the last two years. When James had come to class still in his Quidditch robes from a midday practice he knew he had no choice but to take action. He held his son after class that day.

"What?" James rolled his eyes as he headed back towards his dad.

Harry frowned, "You can't even be bothered to change your robes now?"

"What's it matter?"

"It wouldn't if you didn't also stare off into space and doodle during class. Don't think I haven't noticed all term. Your lack of concern for your education disturbs me. I know you want nothing more than to be on the Quidditch pitch day in and day out, but I can't accept this behavior any more. I'll see you here Friday after dinner for detention."

"Are you kidding me? Dad that's totally unfair! You wouldn't do this to any other student," James tried to argue

"Actually, I would have punished any other student a few weeks ago. I would've held them back from playing in the first Quidditch match to drive the point home. But I haven't with you because I didn't want you to resent me as your father. But as your professor, I have to make you understand the gravity of this situation. I'm letting you off light, all you have to do is scrape the desks and wash the blackboard."

"Yeah, during Quidditch practice!" James huffed.

"Exactly the point. If you don't learn to take your education more seriously than your recreation you are going to be in real trouble, and I don't mean from me or dad," Harry said.

James groaned in frustration and stormed off to Herbology, cursing under his breath the whole way. Regrettably, he was caring his wand while doing so and random bursts of magic shocked passersby in the hall. One of the portraits he walked past started to smoke and sizzle and a suit of armor rattled momentarily before the helmet burst off and fell into a first year's arms. James did not hear the first year's shriek of surprise as he headed out the front doors of the castle.

He couldn't believe his father had the audacity to give him detention. Really, what was the point of having a father as a professor if he didn't cut you more slack than everyone else? Harry had always cut James slack though, long before he was a professor at Hogwarts. It was no secret to any of the Potter-Malfoys who was Harry's favorite. Lyra had dismissed this once by stating that it was only because James was biologically Harry's child. Caelum had disagreed, pointing out that Draco clearly cared for Lily the most, despite Caelum being his genetic offspring. James himself figured his father's favoritism stemmed more from his eerie resemblance to his namesake.

Until now, James had rather liked being Harry's favorite child. Why his father had suddenly decided to play bad cop was beyond him. Despite his rage, however, he knew his father had a point. While he disagreed with the methods of punishment, James knew that he was going to be screwed if he kept his act up. The problem was, now that it had been so long since he had paid attention in his classes, he found it that much harder to give a shit. Why did it matter?

He found himself daydreaming about giving up on becoming an auror and going along with Arnold to try out for professional Quidditch teams. He had suggested this to his fathers one day over the summer and they had both insisted the likelihood of making a team was incredibly small and that competition was fiercest for chasers as they were in greater supply.

James had finally cooled off enough by the time he got to the greenhouse for Herbology that he was no longer causing magic outbursts. But his expression was very easy for Neville to read. He made a mental note before carrying on with his class for the day. Unsurprisingly, James was unable to concentrate in class again. Neville suspected he was getting dangerously close to being too far gone to be reached. He was well aware that the seventh year Gryffindors had just come from Defence and knew Harry must have taken some kind of action. Judging by the anger in his expression when he had walked into class, Neville ascertained it had to be a detention of some kind.

Not one to judge another parent's strategies, Neville knew better than to contest such a choice or to even mention it to Harry or Draco. Instead, as he watched his students work at their plants that day, he thought of another potential solution. James was a disgrace in all of his classes these days, Neville's was no exception. By the time class was over, he had hatched a plan. As the students were heading out for the afternoon, Neville called a student aside.

Sophie Finnigan happened to be one of his star pupils and one of his absolute favorites. She had always been a delight to have in class and Neville had always had a soft spot for her, regardless of her parents being old friends of his.

"I've noticed one of your classmates has been struggling a lot lately," Neville started as they talked in hushed whispers as the class filed out, "Do you think you'd be up to the task of helping them out? You know I would trust you to do it above all others."

"Of course, Professor. Do you mind me asking who it is?"

"Well, conveniently, James is in your house so I imagine helping him out won't be too much of a challenge for a witch such as yourself?"

Sophie's expression shifted slightly. She frowned momentarily before nodding, "Yes, I think I can help him."

"It would be deeply appreciated. After all, I don't like taking points from my own house," Neville reminded her of the stakes casually.

Sophie nodded again before dismissing herself and heading to the Great Hall for dinner. She sat down with her friends and told them what she had just been asked to do.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Her best friend asked her, "Won't he just try to use it as a chance to flirt with you?"

"No, I don't think so. He got the hint last year. He hasn't bothered me at all this year. Actually, come to think of it, I don't know if we've even spoken since term began."

"Still," Another friend chimed in, "Even if he is over you, he is kind of a dolt these days. He might prove impossible to tutor."

Sophie couldn't help but laugh at this, but assured her friends that if anyone could help James, it was her. She was the smartest Gryffindor in their year, though she only ranked in tenth among the whole of seventh years. Still, she knew that if James was going to pay attention to anyone, it would be her.

Sure enough, when Sophie approached him that evening in the common room and asked if he might like to try doing the Herbology homework together, she had his full attention.

"Are you sure you mean to be asking me? You weren't looking for Clarence were you? He's better at this than I am. I usually just copy his answers," James admitted.

"Only partially," Clarence clarified from his spot by the fireplace where he was busy writing his history of magic homework.

Sophie ignored him, "Yes, I mean to be asking you. It's not like you're doing anything important." She glanced down at the gobstones he had been drawing googly eyes on.

He frowned and blushed slightly, though whether it was in anger or embarrassment was unclear, "Why are you even talking to me again? I thought you were going to ignore me until we graduated so you could never see me again?"

"I never said that," She shrugged, "Do you want to or not?"

He considered it for a few moments before hesitantly agreeing.

She plopped herself down on the ground right in front of his chair and pulled her Herbology textbook out of her bag, "Great. Let's get started then." When James did not move at all she glanced up at him, "You may want to go get some parchment and ink."

"Oh, right," He said before getting up to retrieve his school bag from his bed.

Sophie sighed and muttered to herself, "This is going to be a long night."


	34. Deal

Spring 2028

James was steadily improving throughout the fall, so much so that by the match in early March against Hufflepuff he was able to spend equal time studying for class and practicing for the match. It was the first time in a long time that he had been able to concentrate during a game that Sophie had attended. She had been the one who had kept him focused and taught him time management. Consequently, he had been at the peak of his performance and, to the joy of the vast majority of the school, Gryffindor obliterated Hufflepuff. This put them in second only to Ravenclaw. Provided Hufflepuff and Slytherin stayed in third and fourth, it was looking like the final match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw would decide who won the cup.

Previously, this sort of tension would have resulted in James obsessively working on his strategy and planning. But Sophie had helped him to get a good weekly schedule in place so that he didn't lose his head.

"You're sure I can't go practice tonight?" James had asked her as they met in the common room in early April.

"Yes, and don't use your birthday as an excuse. It's not until tomorrow anyway," Sophie said, cutting off his next argument before he could start it.

James just laughed as he sat down beside her and pulled his Defence textbook out of his knapsack, "You actually know my birthday off hand?"

She shrugged, "I'm good with dates."

"Oh yeah?" James asked with a suggestive tone and smile.

She paused from flipping through her book and glared at him, "Not like that, jackass."

"So you're bad at going on dates?" James laughed.

"Ugh, shut up," She rolled her eyes, "Tell me this, wise guy, what was the main point Professor Potter's lesson yesterday?"

James scoffed, "First of all, dad's class was two days ago. Secondly, the obvious point was that occlumency requires a great deal of concentration and training to block even the most mediocre attempts at legilimency."

Sophie glanced his way and smiled, "Well, look at you. Now, are you ready to practice?"

"But dad said that we don't need to practice yet, since that's what we'll be doing in our next class," James reminded her.

"I know," She clarified, "But wouldn't it be better to go in with an upper hand? Just like a Quidditch match, it's better to be a bit overprepared. Besides, he said it takes tons and tons of practice right? If you want to be a good auror, you have to be able to do this."

James sighed and shut his book, "Fine. Which do you want to do?"

"Legilimency," She said as she withdrew her wand. James leaned back comfortably against the sofa just behind him, quietly letting his mind run blank. "Shouldn't you, I don't know, concentrate more? You look like you're ready to take a nap."

James just shrugged noncommittally.

Sophie huffed before whispering, " _Legilimens_ "

He could feel the magic flood into his brain, as if an invisible substance had been injected through his forehead and was flooding his neurons. But he fixed his sight on a black smudge on the wallpaper across the room and concentrated on his breath. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie was practically sweating with effort. She rifled through his brain, but was unable to uncover anything. It was like being trapped in a blank room full of mirrors. As soon as she thought she found something, it turned into nothing.

Finally, she put her wand arm down and huffed, "Oh fine. Your turn."

He snapped himself back to attention, "What was that?"

"You do me, see if you can get anything," She insisted irritably. She usually had no problem besting James when it had come to Defensive magic.

For once, he ignored the opportunity for double entendre and simply picked up his wand. He cast the spell verbally, since he was still struggling with nonverbal spellwork. His mind was instantly flooded with crystal clear imagery. A boy on a playground was taunting and mocking a little girl curled over on the ground. James watched curiously as the girl took the boy's abuse, until out of nowhere the girl leapt up and punched the boy square in the face. The boy went flying several feet, which ought to have been quite impossible. Instead of thudding on the ground, he seemed to bounce. The surrounding children watched in shock. A short Irishman that had been out of frame came running over.

The image quickly distorted itself into the common room. James thought perhaps she had pushed him out of her memories, but he looked around and found her standing across the room screaming at Maddie. He immediately knew what he was witnessing, but he didn't want to see it again. He tore himself out of the memory, turning his head away and lowering his wand.

Sophie was breathing hard, as if she had just run a marathon. She leaned against the table beside her for support, her eyes clenched shut.

"I — I'm sorry," James started hesitantly.

She waved her hand, dismissing his concerns. After a moment of silence she sat up straight. He couldn't help but notice a slight sheen of sweat at her hairline. She took a deep breath, "Try again."

"No, it's my turn now, right?"

She shook her head, "No, I need more practice than you do, obviously."

"I don't think it's a good idea, Soph —"

"I said do it, it's fine!" She snapped.

Rather than attempt to reason with her, James raised his wand again, " _Legilimens_."

He was rocketed into another memory and immediately hated it. He didn't want to be invading these memories. Why wasn't she resisting this more? He could almost sense the very memories that she was trying to hide, but in doing so she only highlighted them, making them impossible to avoid. He found himself in the Great Hall. He glanced at the staff table and noticed his dad was nowhere to be seen. He realized he was standing just by the Gryffindor table and looked down at the students around him. The banners above the table let him know the sorting ceremony had just taken place, it was the first day of classes. But what year was it?

A small hand reached across the table for a jug of pumpkin juice.

He only vaguely recognized the young Sophie. He remembered, once he saw her small face again, that she had been on the same boat as him as they had crossed the Black Lake in their first year. Little Sophie wasn't paying enough attention to what she was doing. Her eyes were fixed somewhere else and she miscalculated how much force to use in lifting the jug. Consequently, the juice spilled all over the table. A few older students around her scowled irritably before quickly cleaning her mess up. She turned beet red and apologized profusely, glancing in the same direction where her gaze had been a moment ago.

A young James was chatting amicably with Arnold and Clarence. Upon closer inspection, he could see that this was actually their second year. His tie was less sloppy than it had been that first year and his younger self was undaunted by the moping Nearly Headless Nick that sat across from him.

A girl seated beside Sophie nudged her side and asked her what her deal was. James vaguely recognized her as one of the girls in his year, one he had only vaguely been aware of for the last seven years. She wasn't on the Quidditch team and she wasn't a mutual friend, so he had had no reason to remember her name.

"What's your deal Sophie? You're going to make the sixth years hate us, as if they don't already," The girl murmured.

Sophie's blush did not fade as she looked down at the table, "S — sorry."

"Well? What's got you all distracted? I wouldn't think it's that hard to lift a jug."

Sophie tilted her head in James' direction. The girl pieced two and two together quickly, "Listen, if you want to get him to notice you, spilling juice isn't the way to do it."

"I don't want him to notice me," Sophie insisted, bristling at the suggestion.

"I should hope not. It's not like he's worth anyone's time, he's just a jock. Y'know, a classic 'bro'? He doesn't care about anyone outside his friend group and he never will. You're better off looking elsewhere for friends," The girl sagely advised her before turning her attention back to her own friend group, utterly ignoring the girl who could use companionship.

James felt himself being lurched forward into a new memory. He could barely see for a moment but he heard familiar voices.

"Can I tell you something?" Sophie's voice whispered through the dark atmosphere.

"Of course," Maddie responded from somewhere in the black.

"I used to have a really bad crush on James Potter-Malfoy," Sophie laughed, "Oh Merlin, it sounds so embarrassing to say out loud."

Maddie giggled with her,"That's okay, I think a lot of other girls had a crush on him at some point."

"Yeah, I figured that out a couple years ago when all the other girls were gossiping about him and fawning over some haircut he had at the time. That's when I realized I didn't want to be like those silly girls. It's not like he's anything special, he's just a guy."

"Yeah, but he's a good guy. Better him than, say, Nick Hallish. He's an actual jock with no ounce of brain in him. Have you seen him? There's a reason that boy's a beater," Maddie suggested with a cackle of laughter as James' eyes adjusted to the scene he was in. The room was an almost identical replica of the boys' dormitory, but he knew it had to be the girls'. He turned away as soon as he saw them. The girls were lying mostly naked in a tiny twin bed together. He put his wand down quickly, no longer willing to invade her memories like this.

The noise of the girls laughing slowly faded into mere echoes as James came back to present reality.

He shook his head and blinked rapidly, trying to get a grip. He pinched his arm and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and found Sophie leaning back on her hands and looking up at the ceiling, her long hair flowing behind her and nearly touching the carpet.

"I'm not doing that again," James said quickly. "It's not a good idea. I don't even know if doing that in class is a good idea."

"Shh," Sophie hushed him sharply.

He hadn't expected this. He shifted silently where he sat, watching her nervously. He hadn't wanted to see those things. He hadn't meant to. It was as if the memories had insisted on being seen, drawing him in like a magnet.

After a moment, she spoke again, "When I was fighting with Maddie last year and she mentioned that I have loved you since first year, what was the first thing that ran through your head?"

James looked away just as she sat up properly to face him. He couldn't bare to look at her right now, it felt too shameful, "I don't know."

"Yes you do. Spit it out, whatever it is," Sophie insisted.

"I thought it was a joke, or a lie," James said, "But Maddie told me it wasn't. I figured it was just a childhood crush and I didn't really think much of it. I swear to god, Sophie, I haven't had any intention to pursue you since that day. You are your own person. You made it perfectly clear you don't see me like that and I have accepted it, honestly."

Sophie sighed and he could tell she was shuffling toward him. He still couldn't look at her. He didn't know what she was doing and he had no idea what would be a bad or good thing to do in this moment, so he stayed totally paralyzed.

She sighed and poked his arm, "Will you just look at me?"

He turned to see her sitting beside him. They stared at each other for a moment. He had never really paid much attention to her eyes before. They suddenly seemed all consuming. He had truly let go of his feelings for her and moved on, he had. But being that close to her, seeing that look in her eyes — it was torture for the poor boy. It was like staring directly into the sun.

"You once thought that I was going to ignore you until graduation and then never talk to you again. I never had any intention to do that. I just — didn't know how to act around you after that blowout with Maddie. I didn't really want to help you study, actually. It was just a favor to Professor Longbottom. I thought you were going to hit on me again. I was worried you were still too busy being hung up on me to give a shit about your own life.

"James, you should know by now that I think you're a good guy. You're way smarter than you give yourself credit for, and you're persistent to say the least. You didn't give up on Quidditch, despite messing up in tryouts over and over again. You've really gotten your act together. I know you're going to pass that Auror exam with flying colors. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad that you took a break from your fixation on me in order to focus on yourself. But — don't necessarily give up on me. I — wouldn't be completely opposed to seeing you after graduation."

"What are you saying?" James asked hesitantly.

Sophie rolled her eyes, growing frustrated, "I dunno James. I guess I'm more willing to give it a shot. Just not now. You're bad at timing. If there happens to be good timing and we're both single — why not?"

"You would actually go on a date with me?" James asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, the only reason I didn't say yes in fifth year was because you literally asked me out the week before our O.W.L exams," She laughed, "Maddie just waited until summer."

James shook his head, "Sophie Finnigan, you are an enigma."

She smiled, "And a terrible occlumens apparently. I'll have to keep practicing. At least now you've seen some of the most embarrassing memories so it can't get much worse."

"Are you kidding? There's got to be worse in that evil little head of yours, and I'm going to find it," He teased.

She shoved him playfully, "Oh shut up. I've had enough for today anyway. We'll keep practicing tomorrow night, okay?" He agreed as they collected their things and stood. She turned to head up the stairs to the girls dormitories but paused momentarily. She turned back to him and smiled, "Hey, thanks for being a good sport about all this."

He shrugged and returned the smile, "Yeah, well, you would have done the same for me."

...

For once, the final Quidditch match of the year had occured after the N.E.W.T exams had taken place. James had done his best, and he was fairly certain he had actually obtained good marks, he felt more confident than ever that he would do well on his Auror exam that he would be taking in six months. With the stress of his final year totally out of the way, all James had to focus on was winning the Quidditch cup for Gryffindor.

When the day arrived, he felt an overwhelming sense of conviction and certainty. He had no idea why, but he was completely convinced that the day was going to go in his favor. When the team made their way out to the pitch in the late afternoon, they were unsurprised to find the entire school had come out for the match.

Half of the audience was a sea of blue with ripples of bronze among them. The other half was like live magma: crimson and gold shifting and flowing. It seemed to be an even divide. Hufflepuff was rooting adamantly for Ravenclaw while Slytherin was rooting for Gryffindor. It was very backwards from the usual stances.

As he and his team stood in the middle of the pitch, waiting for Madame Hooch to join the field with balls, James had a quick huddle to remind his players of their primary strategy this game. Some of them had been a bit reluctant when he told them about it at the last minute that morning, but had agreed nonetheless. Shortly after he confirmed the plan to them, they all mounted their brooms and the game began.

As James soared through the air, dodging a bludger as he went after the Ravenclaw chaser, he couldn't help but hear a familiar voice in the stands. Later, when he had a chance to sit back and assess the situation mid-game, he noticed his entire family was occupying a full row in the stands. His twin sisters had come out with their boyfriends, and he even recognized his aunt Hermione and uncle Ron with them. He chuckled to himself as he rejoined the game. This was going to make his plan even more entertaining.

Unfortunately, he had not accounted for Ravenclaw's offense being stronger than the last game. They had presented such a fierce defense before that it was all he had initially planned for. He realized how quickly the situation was devolving when Ravenclaw suddenly was two hundred points above Gryffindor. He knew he had to end this game sooner rather than later. After making a couple solid scores to help bridge the point gap, he retreated. Nobody seemed to notice as he floated above the crowd toward his seeker, Cally.

"I really don't think now's a good time to try this," She insisted.

"I know, it's completely insane, but you haven't spotted the snitch yet have you?" James asked her as he stared down at the stands below them, eyes darting around quickly.

"I have, but I keep getting caught off guard by one of you lot getting in the way. That's why I'm all the way up here," She explained.

"Well then, I'll give you some time to look around in peace then."

"James, I don't —" She started to repeat, but he zoomed off before she could express her concern.

He flew back into the foray and spotted the Ravenclaw chaser with the quaffle. He nodded toward Jack and Noah. A few moments later, both bludgers came hurtling toward the Ravenclaw chaser. At the same time, Arnold rocketed up from beneath the chaser, barely missing the tip of his broomstick. The chaser leaned back to avoid hitting Arnold, losing his grip on the quaffle. James swooped in and caught it just in the knick of time.

"Catch ya later!" He taunted to the easily fooled chaser as he zoomed off. He could practically hear the Ravenclaw seething with rage as he followed.

Instead of flying toward the Ravenclaw goal posts, however, James veered quickly left toward the bastion of red in the crowd. The fans hollered in delight, momentarily, before realizing that he was aiming directly for the stands. Some of the students screamed in fright and jumped back in shock as James swung his broomstick alongside the stand, bringing it to a full stop right there. Jack and Noah had moved in his direction and fended off the Ravenclaw beaters. He had turned himself into a sitting duck.

The Ravenclaw chaser was close behind, but he ignored him entirely as he smiled toward the girl that stood stock still in the front row of the stands, looking totally dumbstruck.

"Hey Soph," He grinned, "How's your day going?"

She opened and closed her mouth like a puzzled fish.

"Oh, hang on a sec," James apologized as he suddenly blasted upwards into the air as the Ravenclaw chaser caught up with him. He gripped tight to the quaffle as he spun in a corkscrew through the air above the stands. The Ravenclaw chaser tried to keep up with him, but appeared to only get dizzy and went off in the completely opposite direction. The rest of the Ravenclaw team turned their attention toward the Gryffindor captain. So long as James was holding the quaffle, the game was more or less stagnated. Arnold and Roxanne acted like back up beaters, using various distraction techniques to keep the opposing team at bay as they tried to swarm him. His entire team was blocking him from being touched.

He lowered his broom back down and turned back to Sophie, "Now, where was I?"

"James Potter-Malfoy you are completely mental," Sophie said, her pitch rising in terror as she spoke. She hated to admit it, but she desperately wanted this Quidditch cup. She didn't want to be held accountable if they lost.

"Yeah, but hopefully you can overlook that," He shrugged with a little laugh. "Listen, I've been thinking about what you said a while ago when we first practiced occlumency. Were you serious?"

"Now is not the time!" She cried out. Hadn't she literally said his whole problem was that he was bad at timing?

"There's never going to be a good time," James explained. He glanced behind him. Sure enough, all eyes were on him. All of the players were after him, and all of the students and staff were watching in shock. He smiled when he saw Cally zoom across the field. He had to act fast.

He turned to her and she felt her heart stop. She had never seen him look so sure of himself. He may have been arrogant at times, but this wasn't arrogance. This was nothing but pure confidence, self-assurance. He was practically glowing in that evening sun.

"Sophie Finnigan, will you go out with me?"

"Yes, I'll go anywhere with you. Just win us the game!" She shrieked.

"Deal," He assured her before zooming off. He rarely used the intense speed on his broom, but this time it was warranted. He dove under the wall of players that had crowded him and in the blink of an eye he had made it to the goal post. He feinted left before throwing the quaffle straight past the keeper into the main hoop. He looked up and grinned as Cally tore the snitch straight out of the sky above them.

"THAT'S 160 POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR ALL TOGETHER, PUTTING THEM 10 POINTS ABOVE RAVENCLAW AND WINNING THEM THE MATCH," Clarence screamed into the megaphone system. The stands erupted in raucous cheering.

James let go of a breath he hadn't been aware he had been holding. The Ravenclaw keeper beside him cursed him out and flew down to the pitch in blur of blue. James just laughed and touched down on the ground shortly thereafter. His team stormed on him and Cally, congratulating them both.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Roxanne cried in delight as she hugged James. The rest of the team echoed her sentiment as some Gryffindor students flooded down from the stands onto the field. Before James knew it, he had been lifted onto shoulders and was being passed over heads to chants of, "KING JAMES!"

Just as he was starting to enjoy it, he was torn out of someone's hands and landed clumsily on the ground. He looked up and faced his fathers directly. He grinned shyly, "Hey guys, you see the game at all?"

Lyra shoved past her fathers and held her brother by the shoulders, "You're next level. I am so proud of you." She laughed and hugged him tight. James was not surprised in the slightest.

"Did you ever think for a second the poor girl didn't want to say yes to that but she felt forced to?" Draco snapped at his son angrily.

"Dad, she wanted to go out, I just needed to ask her. Trust me. I checked," He reassured his dad.

"You could have cost us the cup!" Harry cried, making it clear where his priorities were, "You ended up a hundred and fifty points behind! How did you know she wouldn't catch it before you got the quaffle in?"

"I didn't," James shrugged, "I just trusted her. Besides, the Ravenclaw seeker wasn't paying any attention. They were all just fighting to take me down."

"You have to hand it to him," Ron said as he walked up to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder, "It was a ballsy move, but he pulled it off."

Harry shook his head with a heavy sigh but smiled nonetheless, "I don't know why I expected anything less from him."

"As lovely as this little reunion is," James started, glancing away from the growing crowd of extended family toward a blonde girl at the periphery of fans, "I've gotta go."

Before anyone could object, he ducked out of their way and into the thick of the pack. He kept his head down to avoid being lifted back up and barrelled his way through the students until he finally found himself standing in front of Sophie again. Except, this time, a second crowd was blocking him. A bunch of girls were gabbing away at her.

"Oh my god what did you say? I didn't hear you from where I was! What was it like?" A girl nagged her. James vaguely recognized her as the dismissive girl from Sophie's memory.

He wasn't sure how to interrupt the posse surrounding her. He tried to clear his throat. One girl glanced his way and widened her eyes. She smacked another girl's arm, starting a chain reaction as all the girls looked toward him and grinned stupidly.

For the first time all day he felt embarrassed, "Hey, can I have a moment?"

The girls giggled profusely and murmured things toward Sophie that he didn't quite pick up on as they dispersed. James glanced around, noticing several other people looking his way. He tried to smooth down his hair on the back of his head as he looked down shyly from Sophie, "Hey, sorry about all the attention. Wanna get out of here? Y'know, away from the crowd?"

"Yes, please," Sophie insisted.

James beamed, reaching for her hand as they walked off the field.

...

Caelum saw someone sit across from him at the table in the Great Hall from the corner of his eye. He turned away from Neil and noticed it was Daisy. He smiled, "Oh, hey. What's up?"

Daisy glanced at Neil momentarily before looking back to Caelum, "Oh, not much. How about that crazy game though?"

Caelum laughed, not noticing as Neil slowly scooted a few feet along the bench away from them, "Yeah, well, James is a bit unpredictable."

"Who did you even root for?"

"Oh, Gryffindor of course. I'm kind of glad Ravenclaw lost to be honest. I didn't want my whole family to give me shit about it for a year, y'know?" He shrugged, "What about you?"

"Hate to say it but I was fully supporting Ravenclaw. Your stupid brother obliterated us and put us in third for the rest of the season," She teased with a small smile.

They exchanged an amused look and awkward silence. Caelum broke the silence first, "Man, it feels like I haven't seen you all year. How've you been?"

Daisy frowned, "Really? I've been trying to spend time with you all year."

"You have? I'm sorry. I've just been so caught up in —"

"The exams, I know. Did you even know I was dating a sixth year Slytherin for most of the year?" She asked.

Caelum glanced around, as if expecting this Slytherin to appear from nowhere, "Uh, no. Congratulations though. Who is he? Or she? Or they. They. Who are they?" He asked, stumbling over pronouns.

She laughed, "Oh, nobody important. It wasn't really working out. He was a little too much of a brute. Sort of two dimensional, and none too bright." She sighed and rested her chin on her hand, "I've decided only Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs are worth dating."

Caelum smiled sadly, "Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out with him. Better luck next time though, or something like that. I'm not really sure what to say."

She snickered, "I know what you mean, don't worry."

He frowned, "Listen, I'm sorry. I probably seemed like a total ass. I genuinely didn't even realize you wanted to hang out with me this year. Why don't we catch up this summer? Make up for lost time or something?"

Daisy grinned brightly. She had lost hope on him awhile ago, but had decided she would give it one more try before the year was over. This was hardly what she had been expecting. She thought all this time that he must have hated her. It was reassuring to know that they were still friends.

"We could meet up in Hogsmeade or something," He added unnecessarily.

"It's a deal," She quickly agreed.


	35. Blooming

Spring 2029

Lyra watched her N.E.W.T students quietly from the front of the room. She had not expected her first year of full time teaching to go this smoothly, especially when she was teaching her baby brother. Her father had made a point to remind her to treat Caelum like any other student, as he always had. Lyra had no issue treating Caelum fairly. He honestly seemed like any other student to her, just another sixteen year old boy trying to do his best. Like any other teenage boy, however, he seemed slightly preoccupied during most lessons.

Over the past few months, Lyra had noticed his propensity for picking the same partner for every potions class. This was not altogether unusual, but it was his behavior with said classmate that interested her. The Ravenclaw N.E.W.T level Potions class happened to be shared with the Hufflepuffs. Once, over tea with her fathers one afternoon, she had casually mentioned this and they had smiled to each other knowingly.

"What am I missing here? Why is that significant?" Lyra had asked.

Harry smirked, "Let me guess, Caelum's been a blundering mess in class?"

"No, why would he be? He's actually the best in the room, aside from me of course," Lyra added unnecessarily.

"Let me guess," Draco said, "He always has the same partner in class and it's a Hufflepuff girl with curly blonde hair?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I've seen it before, she's Neville's daughter, Daisy. He had a defence class with her a couple years ago. He was always clamming up around her. I just assumed he had a crush, but eventually it seemed to die out. Neville told me last year how distressed she was, thinking Caelum hated her for some reason," Harry explained.

Draco interrupted, "He had been so engrossed in his schooling last year he had totally forgotten about her, and pretty much anyone that wasn't Neil."

"Wait who's Neil?" Lyra asked, her head swimming.

"His best friend. Honestly, Ly, keep up," Harry teased, "You gotta keep tabs on all the student gossip. It really does help to know why so-and-so might be sobbing for no reason."

Lyra nodded slowly, "Okay, if you say so. Anyway, you were saying about Caelum?"

"Right, well," Harry continued, "According to Neville, she's had a crush on him for a little while now. They actually had a sort of date in Hogsmeade last July. Hannah and I had bets that they would come back officially dating one another, but apparently they're both oblivious or cripplingly shy. Keep your eye on them though, just don't let on what you know."

So, Lyra had done just that. But as far as she could tell, the two seemed to just be really wonderful friends. They made an excellent team in class and always had the best brews. It was only when she made a circuit through class on that warm March day that she picked up on something.

Caelum was sorting through a pile of porcupine quills, looking for the longest ones. Daisy, meanwhile, was busy at work crushing sopophorous beans and squeezing the juice into a small bowl in front of her. Despite their distinct focus on their work, the two were chatting away.

"So who lost Hufflepuff twenty points the other day? I want to thank them on behalf of Ravenclaw for putting us in the lead," Caelum spoke softly, but his playful tone was clear.

"Oh, shut up," Daisy huffed as she paused to put her unruly hair up in a sloppy bun, "We're still kicking your team's ass in Quidditch, I might point out."

"Hey, they had a serious morale loss after my brother's shenanigans last year, okay? It's not their fault."

"Oh yeah, pin the blame on your brother. Real mature, Cael," She said, playfully nudging his ribs with her elbow.

"Just because you're of age and I'm not does not mean that you're more mature than me, I don't know how many times I've got to tell you that," He said through a grin. He picked up a stubby, dull porcupine quill and poked the back of her hand to make a point.

She rolled her eyes and flicked an empty bean shell across the table at him. The two snickered to themselves as they continued to pelt random materials at each other.

Lyra cleared her throat as she walked by their table.

The young students snapped to attention and quickly went back to their work. Despite their silence, when Lyra looked over her shoulder they were still smiling to themselves. She rolled her eyes surreptitiously and went back to checking in on the potions being brewed.

"Your sister's not as much of a hardass as you made her out to be," Daisy whispered.

Caelum shrugged, "Freddie must have mellowed her out over the years. She used to be way more evil, I swear. There's a reason she's head of Slytherin house."

"Oh, don't be so cliche," She said, "That doesn't make her evil. How's she doing now that she's living with him?"

Thanks to their growing friendship, Daisy had become quite familiar with Caelum's family gossip. Likewise, he had learned all about her small family dynamics. She often expressed jealousy that he had such a massive extended family, since she comparatively only had her parents, her brother, and a three cousins.

Caelum glanced up to make sure Lyra wasn't within hearing distance before muttering, "Really well, actually. Want to know a secret?"

"Always," She grinned, leaning closer toward Caelum.

While the professor's back was turned, Caelum cupped a hand around her ear and whispered, "Freddie's going to ask Lyra to marry him."

"Merlin's beard, when?!" Daisy shouted without thinking.

The entire room turned and stared at her and Caelum, both of whom looked like deer in headlights. Daisy floundered momentarily before coming up with a good excuse, "I mean — when are we supposed to stir in the peppermint again?" She squinted at the blackboard, "Oh, right. Of course. Silly me."

Her classmates seemed to dismiss her antics and returned to their own work. Lyra, however, was suspicious.

"You can't tell anyone," Caelum insisted in a hurried whisper, "I don't want word to get out that Professor Potter-Malfoy is about to become Professor Weasley."

"Of course, I won't breathe a word of it. Sorry, I was just really surprised."

"I don't know why, they've been dating since before I came to school."

"I guess you have a point. They're both so new to me, it feels like they've only just begun," Daisy explained as she stirred the potion in the cauldron before adding the peppermint sprigs. "It's a shame I haven't met your family yet."

"Yeah? You actually want to meet my family outside of Hogwarts?"

She nodded, "Of course. We talk about them enough. You could always come over and meet my mum and dad."

"Technically, I've already met your mum and dad," Caelum pointed out.

She sighed, "Yes, well, mum's very different when she's not in uniform. Dad, not so much, but still. They'd love to meet you properly some time."

"Hm," Caelum hummed in thought as he poured in the sopophorous juice into the cauldron, "I don't know, Daze. My family's really overbearing and intense. They're always snooping. If I take you home they'll think we're dating or something."

Daisy frowned when Caelum wasn't looking, but forced herself to smile again as she added the wormwood and began stirring the potion again, "Well, so what? We know we're friends, that's all that matters, right?"

"You got me there. Maybe once summer starts we can be properly introduced to each other's families," Caelum suggested.

Daisy bottled their Euphoria Elixir. It was glowing gold, a sure sign that it had been made perfectly. "If only your family employed more nepotism. We ought to get bonus points for this," She said.

"Well, we may not get bonus points, but I don't see any reason why we shouldn't at least enjoy the fruits of our labor," Caelum murmured. He glanced around to ensure nobody was looking before taking another vial and filling it to the brim with the leftover potion in the cauldron. He quickly corked the vial and slipped it into his pocket. Daisy smiled wistfully at him, but said nothing. She knew there was no harm in a little bottle of happiness.

After they had brought their sample vial to Lyra's desk at the front of the room and emptied their cauldron, Lyra dismissed the class a few minutes before the bell. Before Caelum could vanish, she caught his eye and gestured for him to stay behind.

He exchanged a look with Daisy, "You go ahead, I'll see you in Defence later."

"No, no, it's fine. I'll wait. I haven't got anywhere to be," She assured him before leaving the room and waiting patiently in the hall to give him some privacy with his sister.

Caelum walked up to his sister, "What?"

"Is that the kind of tone you use with all your professors?" Lyra frowned.

"No, just you and dad. What's up?"

"I have a science question for you. How is it that despite the fact that you share none of dad's DNA you have the same vision problems he has? You might even be more blind than him," Lyra said with mock curiosity as she crossed her arms.

"What on earth are you going on about?" Caelum rolled his eyes.

Lyra gesticulated toward the shut door and spoke in a hushed tone, "Hello? That girl's head over heels for you and you think you're just friends?"

"Daisy?"

"No, the sopophorous beans," Lyra said, "Yes, of course I'm talking about Daisy you dolt. You're supposed to be in Ravenclaw, where are your brains?"

"What are you going on about? Were you eavesdropping?" Caelum asked irritably, hiding his anxiety that he might have spoiled his sister's surprise.

"It's hard to not hear you two. You never shut up. She's clearly been flirting with you all through class. As your professor, I don't care because it's not detracting from your ability to do well in class. As your sister?" She shoved his arm gently, "I'm super annoyed! Stop distracting me with your stupidity and go ask her out already. She's clearly into you."

"I dunno, Ly, I think you're reading into things. We're only friends," Caelum said, "Just because she's a girl and I'm a boy does not mean we have to date."

"No, of course it doesn't, but answer me this: if you walk into the Great Hall for dinner, do you look for her first? Do you think about telling her every little thing that happens to you in a day? Do you spend all of your time in interhouse areas so you don't have to be separated?" Lyra pestered her baby brother, reflecting on her own experiences from when she was dating Freddie.

"Just stop," Caelum said sharply, "I don't need you to butt into my life like this. I can take care of myself, thanks. I gotta go, I'm going to be late for Defence."

He turned away from his sister, who stood in shocked silence. They both knew he was lying, sixth years always had a significant break between classes, but it didn't matter. Caelum just wanted to get away from her. What did his sister know anyway? There was no way that Daisy had any interest in him. How could she? _Well_ , he thought to himself, _you might not be the most dashing but you are bloody brilliant_. The thought brought him no comfort.

He burst out of the classroom door and blazed down the hall a few feet before hearing footsteps behind him.

"Wait up!" Daisy complained as she practically jogged to catch up with Caelum. "What's wrong?" She asked as she finally got close to him.

"Nothing," Caelum said bluntly as she caught up to him. She gave him an admonishing look and he sighed, "Sorry. I don't mean to be cross. It's nothing though. My sister's just a pain in the ass sometimes."

"I get that. Rowan's always being a git to me too," Daisy commiserated.

"I thought you two were close?"

"Of course we are, but that doesn't mean he's not insufferable at times. No offense, but most boys are insensitive at times," She explained, "He's always saying something harsh when he's mad or throwing a fit over small things. He's much better now that he's grown up and acting like an actual adult though."

"Yeah, that's fair," Caelum replied before adding, "But it's really hard when your siblings are grown up and you're … not. Don't you think?"

She considered this for a moment before replying, "It can be. Rowan's usually not patient enough to listen to what's going on in my life. He seems to think that everything he experiences is way harder than whatever I'm going through. But at the same time, it's nice to have someone who's less judgemental than my parents to talk to about adult things. He answers me honestly, because he knows I can handle it. I can't ask dating advice from my dad after all."

"Dating advice? Since when do you need dating advice?" Caelum asked, picking at the cuticles around his nails without noticing.

"Y'know, when I was dating the Slytherin guy?" She reminded him calmly, glancing at him, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, honestly," He insisted, shoving his hands in his pockets. She knew him well enough now to recognize the cues that he was anxious.

"If you insist," She sighed, "Did you want to go and study before class?"

He shook his head. The two walked on through the halls in silence for a moment. Caelum was still fixated on what his sister had asked him. Was he actually interested in his friend? Was this how Neil had felt? He rationalized that ever since Neil had started dating Peter Jacobs at the end of fifth year, he had spent more and more time with Daisy instead of his friend. After all, there was an intimacy between Peter and Neil that Caelum couldn't compete with. He and his best friend still told each other everything, but he knew that he wasn't going to be the center of Neil's universe anymore. Had Daisy become his center?

"Where are we going?" She interrupted his reverie.

He blinked and glanced around, not aware of where he had been walking, "Oh. Um. I don't know. I just, sort of started walking and didn't really think."

"Really? Because from here it looks like you're doing nothing but thinking," She pointed out with a small smile, "C'mon, fess up. What's bothering you? I can tell something's off."

"How?"

"Because when you get obsessed with something you lose track of everything else. You don't notice anything around you and your eyes sort of glaze over."

Caelum was amazed that she had noticed such small details in his behavior. In truth, she was chiefly aware of this because of her experiences last year in trying to get his attention. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to say that _she_ was what he was thinking about. He didn't want to make things weird for her. He looked at her blankly, shrugging his shoulders.

She rolled her eyes playfully and took his arm in hers, "Come on, I know just the place to go."

He followed her lead, trying not to notice people glancing their way. They looked like a couple like this, arm in arm. Caelum hated to admit he thought it cute. This wasn't unlike them either. On occasion, Daisy would grab his hand or arm as they went around the castle grounds between classes. _Do you spend all of your time in interhouse areas?_ His sister's question echoed in his mind. It was true. They did do that. When it had been too cold to walk the grounds in the winter, they had often spent time together in the Great Hall or the library. Sometimes it was purely academic, but other times it was just the two of them hanging out.

Daisy led them quietly through the halls to the front door. They stepped out onto the lush green grounds. Caelum hadn't even noticed spring's arrival last week. The sun was brighter than it had been in months and he could distantly make out the sound of bird calls. He smiled reflexively. It was his favorite time of year. He didn't notice Daisy gazing up at him. She loved seeing him smile like that. She tugged on his arm and they trotted down the front steps of the castle and began wandering aimlessly through the verdant grass.

"Sooo," She crooned, "Tell me what's got you all riled up."

"I don't know if I can," He admitted. His stomach was convulsing into knots. In the back of his head, he knew that if he felt this panicked it was probably because he did, in fact, like her. It had never really occurred to him before. He had always liked her, of course, but this feeling was weird and new. Or had it been there for awhile and he had just ignored it?

"Of course you can, silly," She insisted, "You know you can tell me anything."

"I don't know…"

She let go of his arm and slowed her steps beside him. She turned to look at him, curiosity etched in the curve of her brow, "Please?"

Despite the rock lodged in his windpipe, Caelum knew he couldn't say no to her sincerity and sweetness. He took a slow breath as they came to a halt, "My sister thinks … that, er, you're interested in me or something and that I need to pluck up the nerve to ask you out." As he spoke his face began to turn pink. He looked away, fussing with his hair unnecessarily, another nervous tendency he had had for years.

Daisy's eyes widened and her breathing stopped momentarily. This wasn't what she had been expecting him to say. The two stood in awkward silence for a painfully long time. She wasn't sure what to do, he wasn't sure what to say. Finally, she broke the tension by forcing herself to speak through her nervousness, "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. Your sister is really smart after all. She isn't wrong. I do like you."

He turned to her and shrugged, "Well, obviously, but I think she meant like, y'know,"

"Yeah, I got that. Caelum, I mean it. I really like you. I have for awhile. You've just, kind of been oblivious to the hints I've dropped," She smiled sheepishly.

"What? You dropped hints?"

"My point exactly," She laughed.

His blush darkened, "Wait, was that why you kept trying to hang out with me last year?"

"Yeah, even that Slytherin guy was just a way to try and make you jealous. Didn't work, obviously, but I tried. I'm actually really glad you didn't notice though. I had a serious issue. I was infatuated and it was really unhealthy. It was like you were some sort of distant celebrity in my mind. But when we hung out this summer … I don't know. That sort of went away and I just got to know the real you. I fell for you, Cael. All of you. Even the anxious, overworked parts," She added as she glanced at his hand where his fingertips were bleeding slightly.

There was a faint ringing in his ears. He was in disbelief. How had he not noticed two different people in his life had had feelings for him? He chewed on his lip nervously, unsure what to say now.

Inexplicably, Daisy laughed, "You're really at a loss now aren't you?"

He nodded.

"Well, it's pretty straightforward, Cael," She explained, "If you like me back, we go on a date and see how that goes. If you don't, then we keep on being friends like before."

"It's that easy?" He asked. He didn't know why he was so scared. He could recognize now that he had growing feelings for her, and she had just confessed the same. This was supposed to be a delightful moment, but a part of him kept panicking internally. What if they didn't actually make a good couple? What if she secretly has some terrible habit he couldn't stand? What if they broke up and they never spoke again?

"It's that easy," She smiled, hiding her own panic. What was about to happen? Would he kiss her? Her lips were chapped from the dry air. Did her breath smell bad? She tried to remember everything she had eaten that day but came up blank. And what if he didn't actually like her? What if she had just confessed her feelings for nothing? What if this ruined them? What if they actually couldn't go back to being regular friends?

He remained silent, looking around nervously.

"Caelum."

"What?" He asked, flinching a bit in surprise. He was caught up in his own head again.

"Are you freaking out in that big head of yours?"

He nodded emphatically, "Yes. Absolutely."

Her own nervousness dissolved. If he was this scared, he must have been thinking the same way she was. She smiled gently, "Okay, don't worry. I'll make this easy for you. Do you want to go out on a date with me this weekend?"

He balked for a moment before choking out, "Y-yes."

"Excellent," She beamed, "Would it be alright if I hugged you? You look like you could use one right about now."

He nodded and she swooped into him. She coiled her arms around him, breathing a sigh of relief as she tucked her head down against his shoulder. She felt his muscles relax against her as he let out the breath he had been holding. They stayed this way for a few heartbeats before Daisy gently let go and took a step back. She knew how anxious he could be, she didn't want to rush things with him. He smiled shyly at her, his blush slowly fading.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. She checked her watch, "Oh, shit. We gotta hurry or we'll be late for Defence. C'mon, let's go!" Without much thought she reached for his hand and yanked him back toward the school.

He tried not to overthink the fact that they were holding hands, and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other as fast as he could.

They managed to make it in the knick of time, but forgot to let go of one another's hands until they took their seats in the classroom. It didn't escape Harry's notice. As he turned to write on the blackboard, he couldn't help but smile to himself.


	36. The End

December 25th, 2029

Harry took Draco's hand in his, smiling briefly at him before vanishing into thin air. The couple landed easily on a patch of grass in a snowy backyard. The patch had been cleared away just for those arriving via apparition; a trail lead directly to the back door of the Burrow. Without a word, the two headed down to the familiar house. Judging by the sheer noise emanating from it, they were one of the last to arrive. There had been a bit of a fiasco after they had finished their quiet Christmas dinner that night that had delayed their arrival. Much to Harry and Draco's chagrin, their children, all of whom had been home for dinner, had insisted on arriving separately.

James had left for the Finnigan household to pick up his girlfriend, Lily had apparated all the way to Wales to get her boyfriend Ben, and Lyra had absolutely insisted on meeting Freddie in Hogsmeade first before going to the Burrow. Caelum, meanwhile, had been the only one to invite his partner for Christmas dinner, but had refused to go with Draco and Harry via floo powder, insisting they needed some down time before "poor Daisy gets thrown headfirst into a Weasley party"

The two fathers had known very well that the couple had just wanted to be alone, but they weren't the kind to argue or nag about it. So, off they had gone together, alone. They had had far more alone time in the past few years as their kids had aged out of the house. Though they did miss their children, they loved all of the quality time they had had together lately. They had just celebrated their twenty fifth anniversary that past October. After so many years, both men had reached a point where they silently understood one another. Their quality time together these days consisted of being curled up on a couch, reading separate books and drinking tea. It was the way they liked it.

When they entered the Burrow they were immediately greeted by familiar faces waving in their direction, the smell of freshly baked goods, and the sound of soft chatter.

"Well, you know where to find me," Harry said gently to his husband before kissing his cheek, "I'll see you later?"

"Always by the fireplace with a butterbeer in hand," Draco assured him with a smile.

They had a ritual they had been following for the last several years: Harry would find Ron and George and engross himself in conversation with them while Draco would find his mother and aunt then touch base with the Weasley spouses.

While the middle aged group circulated amongst each other, collectively complaining about the cost of weddings and the plight of teenager angst, the oldest generation was gathered in a tight knit circle reflecting more pensively on the current state of the world. Draco immediately noticed Narcissa, Andromeda, Molly, and Arthur chatting together, each cradling a small glass of ruby red wine. Not wanting to interrupt their conversation completely, Draco pulled a chair up between his mom and aunt. Narcissa turned and smiled to her son, petting a few loose hairs down on his head like she always did. At seventy four years old, she was barely showing any sign of aging. The only real indication were the fine wrinkles around her eyes and lips. She had been laughing so much more in the past few years since she had moved in with Andromeda and sold Malfoy Manor.

It was vivid to anyone who previously knew Narcissa Malfoy how much she had changed since her husband's brutal death seven years ago. She sat with a slight hunch in her shoulders, relaxing them for the first time in her entire life. Unlike her usual deep grays and blacks, she had begun wearing more bright colors. Not that she could ever be as gaudy as her sister in an elf dress. Her hair was always down these days and she almost never wore makeup anymore.

Molly and Arthur, on the other hand, had almost become more put together over the years. It was undoubtedly thanks to welcoming Narcissa into their social circle that the two had acquired far nicer clothing. The immense promotion Arthur Weasley had received a decade ago had certainly helped as well. The house was still warm and inviting, but the furniture had been restored to its best form and the ancient mismatched flatware had been replaced.

"It's absolutely incredible, isn't it?" Arthur asked the group rhetorically, "To think that when Moll and I married it was out of fear, fear that we would be killed the next day, and now our grandchildren get to complain about the inconvenience of magical transportation for destination weddings."

The women laughed, particularly Mrs. Weasley who had heard during a recent cup of tea with Fleur that Dominique was bemoaning precisely such troubles.

"I think what's even more astonishing," Andromeda added, "Is that it was only some thirty years ago that Cissy and I weren't on speaking terms."

"Nobody was on speaking terms with Draco or I," Cissy pointed out with a little laugh. It was easy to look back and laugh now, but it had been so isolating at the time.

"It is amazing what time can change," Molly agreed, "I am so happy to have you two in my life now. I don't know what I would do without our weekly knitting circle, girls."

The three women exchanged a loving look, each with a certain spark in their eye. It was so easy for them to feel isolated with such sporadic visits from their kids and grandkids. Their knitting circle had brought them so much comfort and collective joy over the years.

"We've made it through so much, haven't we?" Andromeda spoke with a sad smile.

Cissy held her sister's hand tightly in her own. The two sisters had come a long way. Each year they visited three graves together: Nymphadora's, Lucius', and Bellatrix's. There had been no stone to mark their late sister's death, and after much consideration they had placed one. Though, because no magical community allowed former death eaters to be buried in their grounds, they had to place her marker beside Lucius' on the small plot of land that Narcissa had kept from the Malfoy estate.

Draco abruptly sneezed, causing the four grandparents to jump in surprise. Narcissa laughed and turned to her son, "Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to hang around listening to us wax prosaic about the good old days. Go have fun!"

"If you insist, I just wanted to check in with you," Draco said gently.

"We're all good here. How about you come visit us sometime in the spring though?" Andromeda suggested, "We always need extra hands for spring cleaning!"

Draco agreed before departing and roaming about the room looking for the wives corner. Every year, there always seemed to be an unofficial corner of the living room that was reserved for the Weasley spouses to congregate. As he meandered through the room, looking through a sea of people, he spotted the top of a head covered in bushy hair standing beside a much taller person with sleek blonde hair. He smiled to himself and weaved through the crowd until he finally had reached them.

"There you are!" Hermione said as he approached them. She hugged Draco, still holding her glass of Chardonnay carefully in one hand.

"We thought you bailed on us for a second there," Alicia said as he slowly but surely hugged every last one of them.

"Yeah, I was worried I would drown in the estrogen here," Terry Boot quipped.

"Oh, hush," Audrey said dismissively, "You love us and you know it."

"Okay, fine, I do. But when you all start groaning about impending menopause or telling pregnancy horror stories it does make things weird for me," Terry admitted.

The girls laughed at his discomfort before continuing with the conversation they had been having just before Draco had arrived.

"So I told her," Fleur began, "It wouldn't be a _bad_ idea to name the baby Appoline if it means that they get a little extra money in my parent's will. But she wasn't hearing it. She hates the name."

"Well, in all fairness, it's a terrible name," Alicia said honestly.

"I know that, but I'm just considering their kid's future. My parents are absolutely loaded and it won't go to me or even to them, it'll go to the youngest generation. They already have six grandchildren, goodness only know they'll end up with great grandkids in the double digits. And which one will get the most money? Which ever one had parents smart enough to give them their great grandparents names."

"That's all well and good," Hermione replied, "But I would have thought they were going to name the baby Remus or Nymphadora?"

"Oh, you didn't hear yet?" Fleur added, "They've found out it's a girl. Teddy's insisting it can't be named Nymphadora, as much as he wants to."

"Why?" Audrey asked.

"Oh, Tonks hated the name Nymphadora," Hermione explained politely, "She only went by her last name. So, I'm pretty sure he thinks it would be a greater dishonor to her memory to give the baby her name."

"So, basically," Terry asked, "Any name is on the table?"

"Correct," Fleur clarified.

Unbeknownst to them, across the room, the happy expecting couple were in the midst of dealing with an onslaught of ridiculous names from their family. The Weasley brothers had congregated into a massive gossiping group that Harry had joined upon entering the party. When Teddy had happened to pass by with Victoire, Bill had informed his brothers of the name predicament. Naturally, Harry had called the couple over and was oblivious to the looks of irritation on their faces as they all suggested terrible names for their unborn daughter.

"Olivia," Bill suggested. "I always wanted to name you Olivia, but Fleur didn't like it."

"Yeah, because it's awful," Victoire spoke flatly.

"What about Amber?" Ron queried.

"Unlike you lot, she won't be a redhead," Teddy said with a playful smile that masked his annoyance at this unending game.

"Never know," Bill shrugged, "She may just get her granddad's looks yet."

"What about Clementine?" George guessed. "It's actually derived from the Latin for gentle, but it would work well if she did happen to have red hair. Not that that's likely."

Teddy and Victoire exchanged a look before she smiled back, "I actually like that. I'll put it on the list."

"Who would have thought you were decent at picking out names?" Harry teased.

George shrugged, "Yeah, well. I try anyway. OI! Where'd you think yer going?" He suddenly shouted over their heads. Harry turned and saw Lyra and Freddie inching toward the back door. Freddie caught his dad's eyes and frowned before heading over.

"You've been here for five minutes," Harry complained as they approached, "Why are you trying to rush out?"

Lyra crossed her arms as she joined the group, "Well, Dominique made a snippy comment about my ring and Freddie got all flustered and was trying to leave so he could go and get a bigger ring. I was just talking him out of it."

George eyed the elegant silver band on Lyra's left hand, "Well, we all know Dominique takes after her mother's expensive tastes."

"That and she's turned into a bridezilla," Bill added with a grimace, "It's not helping that you're considering getting married in the same year as her."

"I don't know why she should care," Freddie griped, "It's not even like we want to get married in the same season or month. It shouldn't even matter."

"That's a bridezilla for you," Ron shrugged.

"Speaking of engagements," Lyra said as she looked over her shoulder. She paused to whistle sharply. Her twin flicked her head around in the crowd and found her way over to the growing crowd with her boyfriend.

"Wait, what? Are you lovebirds engaged too?" Teddy asked incredulously, turning to Lily and Ben as his hair turned electric blue on instinct. He usually kept it a tame brown most days, but he still had a hard time stopping it from changing with his emotions.

Lily nodded with a bright grin as she held out her hand.

Teddy wrapped his arms around her and squished her so tight she thought she would break, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Don't worry, mate," Ben explained, "I only asked her yesterday."

Teddy finally let Lily go, "I'm so happy for you two! You did right in picking a Hufflepuff, let me just be the first to say."

"Says the Hufflepuff who married a Ravenclaw," Lily teased with a wink to Victoire.

Teddy dismissed this easily as he put his arm around his wife's shoulders, "The sorting hat got her wrong, trust me. This brainiac belonged in Hufflepuff all along."

"Okay, but, speaking of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs," Lyra whispered conspiratorially, "Have you guys met Cael's new girlfriend?"

The older Weasleys, growing disinterested, turned away and resumed a conversation about how they had all decided on their adult children's names.

Teddy and Victoire, however, were intrigued by Lyra's latest gossip. "No," Victoire said quietly, "Is she here with him?"

"Yep," Freddie replied, "They just got here a second ago. You'll never believe who's kid she is."

"Voldemort's?" Teddy guessed sarcastically

The group snorted with laughter at the preposterous thought of that historical maniac having a child. Lyra shook her head, "What an absurd notion. No, she's Neville's daughter."

"What is it with you four, honestly," Teddy rolled his eyes, "Lily is the only one with some sense to marry outside the family friends group. I mean, you and Freddie are fine, you two were always made for each other. But then James ends up with Sophie _Finnigan_? And now Caelum is with a _Longbottom_?"

"Shhh," Lyra hissed, "They're coming over."

"Hey little dude!" Teddy said, immediately pretending like he hadn't just been whining about him as he looked up to see Caelum coming toward them, "Who's that on your arm, young man?"

The blonde girl beside him looked down shyly, pushing her curly hair back behind her ear nervously. Caelum, however, was beaming with pride, "This is my girlfriend, Daisy."

"Hi," She practically whispered as she held up a hand in an awkward wave.

"I'm Teddy. He may not have told you but I'm his unofficial older brother."

"Don't mind him," Victoire laughed at the look of panic on the girl's face, "He's a bit tipsy from all the butterbeer he has to drink on my behalf. I'm his wife, Victoire. It's lovely to meet you Daisy. Don't worry, nobody here bites. Well, my dad will pretend that he bites because he pretends he's part werewolf just because he got bitten by one."

"Yeah, he doesn't know anything, I'm the actual werewolf here," Teddy boasted.

"He's also exaggerating," Lily clarified, "He's only half werewolf, he doesn't turn."

Daisy nodded, but her eyes were still like massive snow globes. She wasn't sure what to make of all of this information. It was a bit overwhelming. She squeezed Caelum's hand in her own.

"Well, we're going to go say hi to the aunts and uncles now," Caelum said quickly.

"It was nice meeting you," Daisy murmured politely before the couple whisked away.

There was a pause before Teddy chimed, "She's so cute. Like an anxious little bird."

"Yeah, I can see how she Neville and Hannah's kid," Freddie smirked.

"What the hell guys," someone said as they approached from behind the group, "I've been looking everywhere for you! If it weren't for Teddy's blue hair I don't think I ever could have found you guys in this crowd."

"James!" Teddy cried before bear hugging him as well. "And his gorgeous girl! Don't think I forgot about you Sophie, you're getting a hug too."

"I would expect nothing less Teddy," She laughed as she was embraced.

The group caught up joyously. Unlike the older crowd, Victoire was spared the dreaded naming charade and was able to just enjoy conversation with her family. The siblings chattered without stop, their partners often exchanging knowing looks here and there.

All around the room, the same scene was playing out in some way or another. Dominique was arguing with her brother Louis over her plan to have her wedding held in France. Rose and her long time boyfriend, Lysander Scamander, were having a work related conversation with Lucy Weasley. Maddie and Roxanne were talking animatedly about the national Quidditch games with Maddie's brother, Rhys. Hugo and his new boyfriend, Patrick, had somehow ended up in a long winded conversation about cauldron laws with Percy Weasley.

As the night went on, the crowd began to grow weary. Harry slowly said goodbye to his circle of family before heading over to the fireplace across the room where Draco was already waiting with a cold butterbeer in hand. He handed it to Harry, who accepted it with gratitude.

"Ready to head home?" Draco asked simply.

"Absolutely. I'm completely exhausted," Harry said between sips.

"I see your tongue hasn't fallen out yet," Draco teased his husband. While he did partake in the spouse gossip, he was more of a listener than a talker. Harry, naturally, was quite the opposite.

"One of these days I'll find a charm to detach my tongue so that I don't have to keep up conversations all night long."

Draco laughed, "Good luck with that."

Harry drained the bottle and placed it on the mantle above the fireplace before taking Draco's hand in his. Despite the fireplace being right next to them, they turned on the spot and apparated home instead.

The men set foot on the pavement and smiled to one another. While Harry still had a flat on Hogwarts grounds, he had longed for somewhere he could go relax without one of his teenage children banging down the door. That and it had been so cramped in their Hogwarts flat.

The cottage didn't seem like much on the outside, but perhaps that was because the lot it was on had once been home to a much larger abode. After forty five years, Harry had decided it was time that his first home in Godric's Hollow needed to be left in the past. He had taken the remains of the home down himself, by hand, salvaging some wood that had not been totally destroyed over the years. The wood had been repurposed into his front door and even pieces of furniture throughout the warm, stone cottage.

He hadn't wanted to raise his children on the memories of this land. He knew he could have, but it seemed wrong, inappropriate. But as he approached fifty years in age, he felt that now was the perfect time for him to reclaim the land. His grandkids would play in the yard one day without ever knowing of the tragic event had happened there. He knew his parents would have approved.

"What time is it?" Draco yawned as they headed inside.

Harry glimpsed his watch as he slowly went up the stairs, "Two in the morning."

"Fifteen minutes earlier than last year," Draco said as he followed, "You're getting better. Maybe by next year we'll be home before one?"

"Wishful thinking," Harry commented as he crawled into their bed without changing his clothes at all. He was far too tired for such work.

Draco collapsed beside his husband. They smiled at each other briefly before Harry pulled Draco into his arms, wrapping his body around him closely. They both sighed peacefully, neither remotely capable of sleep so long as they were cuddled up like this. After a few moments, they pulled apart and kissed each other good night before crawling under the covers.

"G'night hon," Harry yawned. "Love you."

"Night sweetheart," Draco replied, "I love you too."


End file.
